LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAM  DIEGO 


' 


PRACTICAL  ,  FLORICULTURE ; 

A    GUIDE    TO    THE    SUCCESSFUL    CULTIVATION   OF 

FLORISTS'    PLANTS, 


FOR    THE 


AMATEUR  AND   PROFESSIONAL  FLORIST. 


NEW    AND    ENLABGED    EDITION. 


BT 

PETER    HENDERSON, 

.ITTHOB    or    "GARDENING    FOB    FBOFIT, 

JIBSKT   CITT    HEIGHTS. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


NEW    YORK: 

ORANGE    JUDD     COMPANY, 

245    BROADWAY. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by  the 

ORANGE   JUDD   COMPANY, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction  6 

Preface  to  Second  Edition 7 

CHAPTER  I. 

Aspect  and  Soil 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Laying  out  the  Lawn  and  Flower  Garden 11 

CHAPTER  III. 

Designs  for  Ornamental  Grounds 13 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Planting  of  Flower  Beds 28 

CHAPTER   V. 

Soils  for  Potting 39 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Temperature  and  Moisture 35 

CHAPTER  VTL 

The  Potting  of  Plants 41 

CHAPTER  Vm. 

Cold  Frames— Winter  Protection 50 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Construction  of  Hot-Beds 62 

CHAPTER  X. 

Green-house  Structures 58 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Green-houses  Attached  to  Dwellings 66 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Modes  of  Heating 71 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Base-Burning  Water-Heater 77 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Propagation  of  Plants  by  Seeds 79 

CHAPTER  XV. 

What  Varieties  come  True  from  Seed 83 

CHAPTER  XVL 

Propagation  of  Plants  by  Cuttings    89 

CHAPTER  XVn. 

How  Plants  and  Flowers  are  Grown 108 

CHAPTER  XVni. 

Propagation  of  Lilies 108 

»•        CHAPTER  XIX. 

Culture  of  the  Rose 118 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Culture  of  the  Verbena 140 

CHAPTER  XXL 
Culture  of  the  Tuberose 144 

8 


PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 
CHAPTER  XXII. 


Orchid  Culture 150 

CHAPTER  XXm. 

Holland  Bulbs 153 

CHAPTER  XXTV. 

Cape  Bulbs, Varieties  and  Culture 156 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Culture  of  Winter-flowering  Plants 161 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Construction  of  Bouquets,  Baskets,  etc 179 

CHAPTER  XXVH. 

Wire  Designs  for  Cut  Flowers 194 

CHAPTER  XXVm. 

Hanging  Baskets 196 

CHAPTER  XXI2. 

Parlor  or  Window  Gardening 199 

CHAPTER  XYX. 

Wardian  Cases,  Ferneries,  etc 206 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Formation  of  Rock-\vork. .     206 

CHAPTER  xxxTT, 

Insects 207 

CHAPTER  yxxlIT 

Are  Plants  Injurious  to  Health  ? 217 

CHAPTER  XJLX.1V. 

Nature's  Law  of  Colors .218 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Packing  Plants 821 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Plants  by  Mail 338 

CHAPTER  XXXV11. 

The  Profits  of  Floriculture 224 

CHAPTER  XXXVIH. 

How  to  become  a  Florist 227 

CHAPTER  XXXJLX. 

Short  Descriptions  of  Soft-Wooded  or  Bedding  Plants  of  the  Leading  Kinds. -229 
CHAPTER  XL. 

What  Flowers  will  Grow  in  the  Shade  ? 242 

CHAPTER  "gT.T. 

Green-house  and  Stove,  or  Hot-house,.  Plants 244 

CHAPTER  XLH.  ^ 

Annuals,  Hardy    Herbaceous,    Perennial    and    Biennial    Plants,    Ornamental 

Shrubs  and  Climbers 948 

CHAPTER  YT.TTT. 

Culture  of  Grape-Vines  under  Glass 253 

CHAPTER  XLTV. 
Diary  of  Operations  for  Each  Day  in  the  Year . . .  .96S 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  very  flattering  reception  given  my  recent  work  on 
Vegetables — "  Gardening  for  Profit" — has  induced  me  to 
again  enter  the  field  of  horticultural  literature  and  offer 
to  the  public  what  knowledge  twenty  years  of  varied  and 
extensive  experience  has  given  me  in  floriculture. 

The  subjects  embraced  by  floriculture  are  now  so  vari- 
ous and  comprehensive,  that  the  difficulty  presenting  itself 
throughout  has  been  to  compress  the  work  into  moderate 
limits,  without  omitting  matters  which  it  is  requisite  those 
looking  for  information  should  know.  But  in  endeavoring 
to  do  so,  it  has  been  necessary  to  treat  many  subjects 
much  more  briefly  than  their  importance  deserved. 

It  has  been  my  aim  to  make  this  book  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  amateur  and  inexperienced  florist,  and  in 
this  I  trust  I  have  partially  succeeded.  To  do  so,  I  have 
had  to  give  instructions  on  some  subjects  more  in  detail 
than  will  seem  necessary  to  the  experienced  gardener ;  but 
he  should  know  that  it  is  not  for  such  as  he  that  a  book 
like  this  is  written.  It  is  for  the  amateur  who  takes 
pleasure  in  the  work  of,  or  superintendence  of,  his  own 
garden  or  green-house;  or  the  unskilled  florist  in  our 
country  towns,  who  has  no  one  to  consult  with  or  to  copy 
from.  With  such  I  flatter  myself  that  this  book  will  be 
welcome,  as  filling  a  want  that  no  work  before  written  in 
this  country  has  attempted  to  supply ;  for  all  previous 
works  have  been  written  for  the  amateur,  or  amateur's 
gardener;  commercial  floriculture  in  all  has  been  entirely 
ignored. 
5 


VI  PEACTIUAL  FLORICULTURE. 

The  radical  views  advanced  on  some  subjects  will  be 
scouted  by  many  gardeners  who  have  been  trained,  as  I 
•was,  in  the  conservative  schools.  For  some  years  I 
practised  according  to  my  early  teachings,  until  in- 
creasing business  and  the  dire  necessity  of  more  labor 
brought  common  sense  to  the  rescue  and  enabled  me  to 
cut  loose  from  prescribed  rules  to  such  an  extent  as  now 
to  produce  better  results,  with  half  the  labor,  than  was 
done  a  score  of  years  ago.  Had  our  practices  in  such 
matters  been  limited  in  their  extent,  or  in  the  length  of 
time  they  have  been  in  use,  we  could  not  have  advocated 
their  adoption  with  such  confidence.  Such  modes,  differ- 
ing from  those  of  the  "  orthodox  school,"  as  we  have 
described,  have  been  in  use  by  all  successful  florists  of 
extensive  practice  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  for  the 
past  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  and  as  "  a  tree  is  known  by 
its  fruits,"  so  we  say  come  and  see  the  results  produced 
by  these  methods,  and  judge  whether  or  not  they  are 
worthy  of  imitation. 

My  own  knowledge  and  experience  being  defective  on 
a  few  of  the  subjects  treated  of  in  this  work,  I  have;  had 
the  pleasure  to  receive  the  assistance  of  friends  who  have 
attained  special  eminence  in  the  departments  on  which 
they  treat.  The  plans  for  laying  out  gardens,  together 
with  the  descriptions,  are  by  the  late  Eugene  A.  Baumann, 
Landscape  Gardener,  of  Rah  way,  N.  J. ;  that  on  the  "  Con- 
struction of  Bouquets,  etc.,"  is  written  by  James  H.  Park, 
of  Brooklyn,  L.  I. ;  the  chapter  on  "  Orchids,"  is  by 
James  Fleming,  Bergen  City,  N.  J.;  and  that  on  "  Violet 
Forcing,"  by  Norton  Bros.,  of  Dorchester,  Mass. 

PETER  HENDEBSON. 
Bergen.  City,  Ni  J.,  Nov.  1st.,  1868. 


PREFACE    TO    SECOND    EDITION. 

It  is  five  years  since  I  wrote  the  first  edition  of  Prac- 
tical Floriculture.  The  business  is  a  progressive  one,  and 
I  find  that  to  keep  pace  with  the  advancement  in  many 
points  another  edition  is  necessary.  If  the  success  of  this 
edition  proves  equal  to  that  of  the  first,  I  shall  be  abun- 
dantly satisfied.  It  gives  me  great  satisfaction  to  know 
that  my  first  work  has  been  the  means  not  only  of  helping 
thousands  of  those  having  a  taste  for  floriculture  to  a  bet- 
ter understanding  of  the  subject,  but  that  it  has  also 
helped  hundreds  of  men,  and  some  women,  to  drift  into 
the  pleasant  and  profitable  occupation  of  Commercial 
Florists,  and  I  have  been  the  recipient  of  scores  of  letters 
from  these  giving  the  credit  of  their  success  entirely  to 
"  Practical  Floriculture." 

In  this  edition  is  added  a  short  treatise  on  the  Culture 
of  Foreign  Grape-vines  under  Glass,  written  by  Hugh 
Wilson,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  who  is  well  known  in  that  sec- 
tion as  a  most  successful  Grape  Grower. 

PETER    HENDERSON. 

Jersey  City  Heights,  N.  J.,  } 
November  1st,  1873.          f 


PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 


CHAPTER    L 

ASPECT    AND    SOIL. 

The  Aspect  of  the  Flower  Garden,  when  choice  can  be 
made,  should  be  towards  the  south,  or  south-east,  and  if 
sheltered  by  hills,  or  belts  of  timber,  from  the  north-west, 
many  plants  and  trees  can  be  safely  grown  that  could  not 
otherwise  succeed  without  that  shelter.  Such  a  situation 
also  permits  operations  to  be  begun  earlier  in  spring,  and 
continued  later  in  the  fall,  in  some  locations  making  the 
season  from  two  to  three  weeks  longer  than  if  the  aspect 
had  been  to  the  north  or  north-west. 

The  soil  in  flower  gardening,  as  in  all  Horticultural 
operations,  is  the  basis  of  success,  and  is  of  more  import- 
ance even  than  Aspect  or  Location ;  and  whether  it  is  the 
man  of  wealth,  looking  for  a  site  upon  which  to  build,  and 
surround  his  home  with  a  flowery  landscape,  or  the  work- 
ing gardener  about  to  become  florist,  and  venturing  his 
hard  earnings  in  a  first  essay  in  business,  let  him  first  be 
certain  that  old  "  mother  earth,"  in  the  spot  about  to  be 
chosen,  is  in  such  condition  as  will  reward  his  labors  with 
success.  Soils  are  so  varied,  that  it  is  difficult  indeed  to 
convey  to  the  inexperienced  by  description,  what  the 
proper  character  should  be.  To  say  to  the  uninitiated, 


10  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

that  the  best  soil  for  all  garden  purposes  is  a  sandy  loam, 
not  less  than  10  inches  deep,  conveys  very  little  informa- 
tion, unless  he  is  first  made  to  understand  what  a  sandy 
loam  is.  The  subsoil,  or  stratum  of  earth  immediately 
underlying  the  top  soil,  or  loam,  usually  determines  th« 
quality  of  the  soil.  If  it  be  gravelly,  or  sandy,  then  the 
top  soil  will  almost  invariably  be  a  sandy  loam ;  but  if  the 
subsoil  is  of  putty-like  clay,  then  the  top  soil  will  usually 
be  of  the  same  nature,  and  be  what  is  known  as  clayey 
loam.  One  great  advantage  usually  in  soils  having  a 
gravelly  or  sandy  subsoil  is,  that  the  water  passes  off  free- 
ly, rendering  the  expensive  operation  of  draining  unneces- 
sary, while  in  all  soils  with  clayey  subsoil,  draining  must 
be  done,  and  thoroughly,  or  failure  will  certainly  be  the 
result.  Those  most  to  be  avoided  are  what  are  known  as 
"  thin  soils ;"  these  may  be  either  of  sand,  gravel,  or  clay, 
being  in  many  places  little  more  than  "  subsoil,"  without 
its  stratum  of  loam.  No  process  of  manuring  or  cultiva- 
tion can  ever  bring  such  soils  into  a  condition  to  compete 
with  those  naturally  good ;  for  be  it  remembered  that 
manures  answer  only  a  temporary  purpose,  and  exert  no 
permanent  change  in  soil.  Our  richest  market  gardens, 
when  left  untilled,  relapse  into  their  normal  state  in  three 
years.  Thus  it  is  in  many  parts  of  the  Southern  States, 
that  plantations  are  said  to  be  "  worn  out"  in  a  few  years, 
while  in  fact  it  is  simply  the  supply  of  food  to  the  plants 
that  has  been  exhausted,  the  organic  matter  formed  by 
decaying  leaves  or  sods  having  been  expended  by  the 
crops. 

Supply  this  want  by  fertilizers,  and  you  again  have  the 
land  in  its  primitive  fertile  condition ;  but  this  must  be 
continued,  or  the  crops  will  again  sho\v  indications  of  the 
soil  being  "  worn  out,"  but  quicker,  of  course,  on  a  thin 
soil  than  on  a  deep  one.  Hence  the  importance  of  select- 
ing, when  a  choice  can  be  had,  a  deep  soil,  with  a  subsoil 
of  sand  or  gravel. 


LAYING   OUT  THE  LAWN   AND  FLO  WEB  GARDEN.        H 

CHAPTER    II 

LAYING  OUT  THE  LAWN  AND  FLOWER  GARDEN. 

The  Lawn. — The  preparation  of  the  Lawn  is  usually 
preliminary  to  the  laying  out  of  flower-heels  in  grounds 
having  pretensions  to  what  is  called  Landscape  Garden- 
ing. The  preparation  for  the  lawn  is  too  often  hastily 
and  imperfectly  made ;  it  is  the  foundation  of  all  subse- 
quent operations,  and  if  imperfectly  done  at  first,  the  fault 
can  never  he  remedied  afterward.  The  first  point  is  to 
get  the  grounds  shaped  to  the  desired  grade,  taking  care 
in  grading,  that  when  hills  are  removed,  sufficient  subsoil 
is  also  removed,  to  be  replaced  with  top  soil;  so  that 
at  least  6  inches  of  good  soil  will  overlay  the  whole  in  all 
places.  When  the  grading  is  finished,  drains  should  be 
laid  wherever  necessary,  then  the  whole  should  be  thor- 
oughly plowed,  a  subsoil  following  in  the  wake  of  the 
common  plow,  until  it  is  completely  pulverized.  A 
heavy  harrow  should  then  be  applied  until  the  surface  is 
thoroughly  fined  down ;  all  stones,  roots,  etc.,  should  be 
removed,  so  that  a  smooth  surface  may  be  obtained.  The 
lawn  is  now  ready  to  be  sown ;  when  the  seed  is  sown,  a 
light  harrow  should  again  be  applied,  and  after  that  a 
thorough  rolling  given,  so  that  the  surface  is  made  as 
smooth  as  possible.  In  the  latitude  of  New  York,  the 
seed  may  be  sown  any  time  during  the  months  of  April 
and  May,  and  will  form  a  good  lawn  by  August,  if  the 
preparation  has  been  good;  if  sown  in  the  hot  months  of 
June  or  July,  a  sprinkling  of  oats  should  be  sown  at  the 
same  time,  so  that  the  shade  given  by  the  oats  will  pro- 
tect the  young  grass  from  the  sun.  Lawns  are  also  some- 
times sown  during  the  early  fall  months  with  excellent 
results.  For  small  plots,  of  course,  digging,  trenching, 
and  raking  must  be  done  instead  of  plowing,  subsoiling, 


12  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

and  harrowing,  and  when  good  material  is  at  Land,  and 
immediate  effect  desired,  such  plots  may  be  turfed  or  sod- 
ded instead  of  being  sown. 

The  mixture  of  grass  seed  best  suited  for  forming  lawns 
is  composed  as  follows : 

8  quarts  Rhode  Island  Bent  Grass. 

3      "      Creeping  Bent  Grass. 
10      "      Red  Top  Grass, 
10      "      Kentucky  Blue  Grass. 

1       "      White  Clover. 

1  Bushel 

From  3  to  5  Bushels  are  required  per  acre,  according  to 
the  condition  of  the  soil,  more  being  required  on  a  poor 
soil  than  on  a  rich  one. 

Laying  out  the  Flower  Garden,— In  the  vicinity  of 
New  York,  the  taste  displayed  in  this  matter  is  certainly 
not  very  flattering  to  us ;  compared  with  that  shown  in 
the  suburbs  of  London  or  Paris,  we  are  wofully  behind. 
Our  city  merchants  annually  build  hundreds  of  houses,  the 
cost  of  which  ranges  from  $10,000  to  $50,000  each,  but 
the  flower  garden  surrounding  the  house  is  in  nineteen 
cases  out  of  twenty  left  to  the  tender  mercies  of  some  ig- 
noramus who  styles  himself  a  "  Landscaper,"  and  who 
generally  manages  before  he  is  through  to  make  the  pro- 
prietor appear  to  be  utterly  devoid  of  taste,  if  not  actually 
ridiculous.  A  worthy  of  this  stamp  held  kingly  sway  as 
a  "  Landscaper  "  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  a  few  years 
ago,  and.  has  left  behind  him  some  wonderful  specimens  of 
his  art ;  he  was  great  on  "  Sarpentine  "  walks,  as  he  called 
them,  and  had  a  true  artist's  horror  of  straight  lines.  It 
would  have  been  useless  for  Euclid  to  have  attempted  to 
demonstrate  that  the  nearest  distance  between  two  points 
was  a  straight  line,  Terry  knew  better  than  that,  and 
curved  accordingly.  One  of  the  most  maiked  of  his 


DESIGNS   FOE   ORNAMENTAL   GBOUNDS.  13 

efforts  was  made  in  behalf  of  a  "  shoddy  "  king  who  had 
built  a  splendid  mansion  in  about  the  middle  of  a  four-acre 
lot.  The  carriage  drive  entering  at  each  side  of  the  plot, 
was  made  in  his  best  "  Sarpentine  "  style,  but  the  centre 
approach,  a  six-foot  walk  for  pedestrians,  started  at  a 
point  in  the  centre  of  the  block,  and  was  twisted  like  a 
corkscrew  until  it  reached  the  hall  door.  The  portly 
owner  submitted  like  a  martyr  for  awhile,  but  eventually 
snubbed  Terry's  science,  obliterated  the  walk,  and  got  a 
more  expeditious,  if  less  artistic  method  of  getting  to 
his  home ;  his  dogs  and  children,  having  less  reverence  for 
Terry's  art,  had  long  before  taken  the  initiative.  But 
this  is  only  telling  what  not  to  do,  which  perhaps  is  as 
necessary  as  to  tell  what  to  do  in  the  brief  space  that  this 
subject  can  be  treated  of  in  this  work.  The  following 
remarks  and  drawings  are  by  the  late  Eugene  A.  Bau- 
mann,  Esq.,  of  Rah  way,  N.  J.,  whose  ability  as  a  practical 
Landscape  Gardener  was  perhaps  second  to  none  in  this 
country ;  as  the  thousands  of  acres  of  tasteful  grounds 
laid  out  by  him  in  this  and  adjacent  States  during  the 
past  twenty  years  will  attest. 


CHAPTER    HI. 

DESIGNS    FOR    ORNAMENTAL    GROUNDS    AND    FLOWER 
GARDENS. 

DESIGN  FOE  A  CITY   OE  VILLAGE   LOT. 

Figure  1  gives  a  plan  for  a  city  or  village  lot  of 
100x200  feet,  fronting  south,  but  without  stable  or  carriage 
house. 

The  dwelling  at  1  is  supposed  to  be  without  area,  or 
entrance  to  the  basement  and  cellars  from  outside,  but 


14  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

with  the  water-table,  or  first  floor,  raised  above  the 
ground  some  five  feet,  and  the  earth  from  the  foundations 
and  cellars  employed  for  a  terrace,  rising  about  two  and 
a  half  feet  above  the  ordinary  level,  which  is  understood 
to  be  some  two  feet  above  that  of  the  public  road. 

This  plan  is  entirely  in  the  geometric  style,  or  with 
straight  walks  exclusively,  as  we  think  that,  considering 
everything,  this  arrangement  is  the  most  suitable  for  small 
lots. 

What,  indeed,  is  the  best  use  to  which  to  put  so  little 
room  ?  Fruit  trees,  vegetables,  and  large  pieces  of  lawn 
are  not  what  are  here  required ;  fruit  and  vegetables  the 
proprietor  may  procure  at  the  market  cheaper  than  he 
could  raise  them ;  lawns  or  grass  plots  would  not  be  ac- 
cessible for  any  amusement  or  exercise  in  damp  or  rainy 
weather.  Therefore  I  consider  well-made  walks,  that  may 
be  dry  in  the  afternoon  of  a  rainy  day,  much  more  needed 
for  the  promenade  of  persons,  who,  having  been  busy  all 
clay,  require  some  exercise  and  fresh  air  in  the  evening. 
Fine  shrubbery,  flower-beds,  and  shade  are  also  required. 

In  a  planting  of  the  right  sort,  it  requires  not  much 
depth  to  form  good  belts  to  protect  the  place  against  the 
cold  winds,  or  sometimes  against  cool  neighbors. 

A  large  display  of  flowers  does  not  require  a  very  large 
space  of  ground,  and  if  plenty  of  flowers  should  be 
wanted,  as  is  generally  the  case,  their  quantity  may  be  in- 
creased by  a  judicious  selection  of  flowering  shrubbery. 

For  a  more  sheltered,  shady  walk,  I  should,  in  such  a 
place,  suggest  a  well-built  arbor  too,  covered  on  top  with 
ont-door  grape  vines,  and  on  the  side  towards  the  house 
with  fine  flowering  climbers,  or  those  that  have  good  and 
durable  foliage,  such  as  Climbing  Roses  and  Honeysuckles, 
the  Clematis,  Akebia,  Virginia  Creeper,  Bittersweet  (or 
Celastrus  scandens),  Wistaria  Sinensis,  etc.,  as  perma- 
nent plants,  which  may  be  trained  so  as  to  cover  the  whole 
front ;  and  then,  for  variety,  of  a  dwarfer  habit  and  cover- 


DESIGNS   FOB   OENAMEXTAL   GKOUXDS. 


Fig.  1.— DESIGN  FOB  A  VILLAGE  LOT. 


16  PBACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

ing  the  lower  parts,  the  Madeira  Vine,  Canary-bird  Plant, 
and  Adlumia.  Some  of  the  new  Cucurbitaceae,  the  broad- 
leaved  Periwinkle,  Ivies,  and  a  number  of  other  sorts, 
may  be  recommended. 

I  intend,  in  progressing  with  the  explanation  of  the 
»i  umbered  objects  of  this  plan,  to  give  a  list  of  such  trees 
and  shrubs  as  are  required  on  a  small  place.  It  is  a 
point  which  ought  always  to  be  considered,  that  trees  and 
shrubs  fit  for  a  large  place  are  not  exactly  suited  to  a 
small  one,  whatever  may  be  their  appearance  or  effect  in 
the  first  four  or  five  years ;  the  mistakes  are  only  seen  in 
after  years.  Fortunately  for  the  generality  of  the  "  land- 
scapers,"  before  the  effect  of  their  work  is  shown,  the 
owner  has  removed  to  a  bigger  house,  or  the  planting  has 
been  neglected  and  the  trees  have  died,  or  the  "land- 
scaper"  has  found  employment  far  away  out  West,  caring 
very  little  how  his  chef  cPoeuvres  in  the  East  may  look. 

At  2  is  the  terrace,  with  the  embankment.  Small  em- 
bankments ought  to  be  of  the  most  simple  shape ;  any 
fancy  outlines  in  the  slope,  on  a  small  scale,  will  only  be 
seen  when  the  grass  is  freshly  cut  short,  and  they  are 
therefore  of  no  use.  3  is  the  main  approach  to  the  dwell- 
ing. (See  scale  for  width.)  At  20,  in  a  small  circle,  it  is 
intended  to  employ  a  fine  bush  of  Pyrus  Japonica,  to 
interrupt  the  view  from  the  street.  4  is  a  smaller  walk, 
intended  for  the  use  of  the  family,  but  forming  with  the 
walk  3  a  continuous  circuit  around  the  place.  5  is  intend- 
ed for  a  small  yard  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  with  the  well 
at  13.  6,  a  six-foot  walk,  passing  underneath  the  arbor ; 
a  shady  place  in  summer.  7,  the  arbor,  with  only  spare 
room  enough  left  in  its  rear  for  attending  to  the  climbers 
and  grape  vines  planted  against  it.  8,  intended  to  be  a 
shed  for  wood  and  other  articles,  besides  a  hen-house, 
with  hen-yard,  at  10.  9,  office.  11,  a  bench,  or  resting- 
place.  12,  benches,  or  even  stone  seats,  in  recesses.  14,  a 
grass  plot,  to  be  used  for  a  drying-ground,  and  also  as 


DESIGNS    FOR    ORNAMENTAL   GROUNDS.  17 

a  play-ground  for  children,  surrounded  by  seven  deciduous 
shade  trees,  which  might  be,  in  preference,  the  Silver- 
leaved  Maple  (Acer  dasycarpum,)  a  healthy,  strong-grow- 
ing, and  clean  tree.  At  15,  for  variety  of  foliage,  a  Weep- 
ing-Willow. 16,  a  hedge-row  of  Siberian  Arbor-vitae. 
17  is  a  flower-bed,  with  an  outside  border  made  of  the 
small-leaved,  trailing  Juniper,  or  Juniperus  procumbens. 
This  magnificent  plant,  which,  in  small  beds,  forms  the 
densest  glaucous-green  carpet,  may  be  easily  trained  for  a 
border  by  planting  small  young  plants  at  8  to  10  inches 
apart,  and  then  guiding  the  main  leader  with  small  wooden 
pins  in  the  direction  of  the  border.  It  ofiers  something 
entirely  new  in  color  and  shape,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  it  is  so  little  in  use. 

A  second  border,  immediately  around  the  flower-bed, 
affording  a  greater  contrast  in  color,  would  be  the  small 
Tom  Thumb  Arbor-vitae — a  very  precious  novelty,  too, 
on  account  of  its  very  dark  foliage. 

At  18,  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  house,  there  would  be 
a  very  favorable  location  for  a  group  of  Rhododendrons 
and  other  so-called  North  American  evergreen  shrubs. 

At  19,  may  be  placed  two  single  bushes  of  Calycanthus 
floridus,  or,  still  better,  two  large  vases  or  other  pieces 
of  statuary. 

At  21,  a  circle,  to  be  decorated  with  a  purple  Beech,  or 
a  good  specimen  of  the  Kilmarnock  Willow. 

At  22,  all  along  the  eastern  boundary,  a  row  of  Norway 
Spruces,  Balsam  Firs,  and  American  Arbor-vitae,  in  the 
rear,  planted  at  sufficient  distance  from  each  other  to  per- 
mit a  second  row  in  front  of  them  (alternating),  about  4 
or  5  feet  from  the  side  of  the  walk. 

In  this  front  line  ought  to  be  employed  Siberian  Arbor- 
vitae,  Irish  and  Swedish  Junipers,  Golden  Arbor-vitae,  "Op* 
right  Yews,  Retinispora  ericoides,  and  Podocarpus. 

At  22  a,  in  the  rear  of  the  play-ground,  there  ought  to 
be  the  following  shrubs,  in  three  rows ;  for  instance,  in  the 


18  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

rear,  the  Venetian  Sumac,  Cercis  Siliquastrum,  and  Cercia 
Canadensis,  Double  White  and  Red  Flowering  Thorns, 
American  Mountain  Ash,  etc.,  etc.,  but  no  larger  trees. 

In  the  second  row  there  might  be  planted  (alternately) 
the  Purple  Hazel  (or  Filbert),  the  Halesia  tetraptera, 
some  Philadelphus,  Euonymus,  and  Rose  of  Sharon. 

In  the  third  row,  still  smaller  sorts,  closing  down  to  the 
edging,  such  as  the  Purple  Barberry,  Hypericum  Kalmia- 
num,  Daphne  JVIezereum,  Cotoneasters,  Prunus  Sinensis, 
and  Prunus  triloba.  Herbaceous  Plants,  like  Peonies, 
Iris,  Phloxes,  etc.,  etc.,  may  be  added,  too,  to  great  ad- 
vantage. 

At  23,  the  group  near  the  front  fence  must  be  stocked 
with  such  shrubs  as  will  prevent  outsiders  from  troubling 
the  privacy  of  the  place,  but  low  enough  to  allow  the  in- 
mates to  see  the  street  from  the  piazza  or  first  floor. 

The  following  plants  may  best  answer,  viz. :  Spiraea 
Reevesii  fl.  pleno,  Spiraea  prunifolia,  and  Spiraea  callosa, 
Deutzia  crenata  fl.  pleno,  Crataegus  Pyracantha  (near  each 
gate),  and  in  front  of  these,  towards  the  house,  Hypericum 
Kalmianum,  Deutzia  gracilis,  Spiraea  Fortunii,  and  some 
herbaceous  plants.  24,  a  corner  group,  ought  to  be  filled 
in  the  rear  with  one  or  two  Virgilia  lutea,  and  in  front  of 
these  there  should  be  some  five  or  six  JEsculus  macro- 
stachya,  a  shrub  of  a  remarkable  fine  effect. 

At  25  and  26,  the  two  small  groups  could  be  employed 
for  Hydrangeas.  27  and  28  require,  to  hide  the  hen- 
yard,  some  taller  shrubs  of  the  following  sort :  the  Cali- 
fornian  Privet,  some  Lilacs,  and  the  Golden  Elder  (Sambu- 
cus  nigra  aurea.) 

The  small  border,  29,  may  be  employed  for  some 
espaliers  of  Pears,  Apricots,  or  Medlars. 

30  is  intended  for  flower-beds,  arranged  in  the  most 
simple  way,  and  which  ought  to  be  filled  in  the  fall  with 
Dutch  bulbs  for  the  spring  season,  and  in  summer  with 
fine  selected  bedding  plants,  of  very  distinct  colors,  but 


DESIGNS    FOR    ORNAMENTAL    GROUNDS.  19 

each  separate  color  in  one  strip ;  or  with  annuals,  like  Por- 
tulaca,  Phlox  Drummondii,  Nemophilas,  etc.,  etc. 

At  a,  in  Div.  30,  there  may  be  some  Magnolias,  a  Cercis 
Japonica,  and  one  Berberis  macrophylla,  or  Japonica. 

By  mentioning  exactly  all  the  sorts  of  trees  and  shrubs 
that  I  might  employ,  I  do  not  intend  to  say  that  the  laying 
out  may  be  a  failure  by  employing  other  sorts,  as  corres- 
ponding varieties  in  size  and  foliage  will  answer  just  as 
well,  but  it  will  be  noticed  that  I  have  mentioned  no  trees 
of  large  size,  except  along  the  eastern  boundary  and  the 
play-ground.  Indeed,  of  what  use  would  it  be  to  employ 
Sugar  Maples,  Elms,  Norway  Maples,  and  Sycamores, 
which  after  a  few  years  would  cover  up  half  the  width  of 
the  place,  and  leave  no  room  for  good  shrubbery  and  flow- 
ers ;  allow  no  sun  in  the  place,  and  e,ven  prevent  the  turf 


Fig.  2. — SECTION   OF  ROAD   WITH   SINGLE    DRAIN. 

from  growing  under  their  extended  shade  ?  It  would  be 
as  sensible  as  to  place  in  a  small  drawing-room  a  table,  of 
which  the  four  corners  would  touch  the  four  walls. 

In  the  selection  of  the  right  kind  of  plants  is  the  whole 
secret  of  the  art. 

The  walks  in  such  a  regular  garden  must  be  as  well 
graded  as  possible,  and  on  the  same  level  as  the  turf, 
which  ought  not  to  overreach  them  more  than  1  or  1% 
inch.  Very  narrow  walks,  unless  the  grass  is  frequently 
clipped,  often  look  like  ditches. 

To  establish  such  walks,  if  there  is  any  drainage  re- 
quired, the  digging  out  of  the  soil  before  stoning  ought 
to  be  as  clearly  denned  and  done  as  well  as  the  dressing 
of  the  top. 

The  best  way  to  dig  them  out  is,  in  general,  for  single 
drains,  according  to  the  diagram,  figure  2,  and  where 


20  PBACTICAL   FLORICULTUEE. 

double  drains  are  required,  I  generally  recommend  the 
following  system,  shown  in  figure  3. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  first  diagram  that  the  bottom  of 
the  ditch  represented  in  the  cut  is  an  inclined  plane,  run- 
ning downwards  from  one  side  of  the  walk  toward  the 
opposite  side  to  the  drain,  which  I  figure  here  simply  as  a 
stone  drain.  The  stoning  is  to  be  laid  uprightly,  and 
never  flat,  on  the  hardened  bottom  of  the  ditch  or  dug- 


Fig.  3. — SECTION  OF  BOAD  WITH  DOUBLE  DRAINS. 


out  trench ;  if  laid  flat,  the  stones  will  never  bind  together, 
but  if  upright,  they  will  soon  become  tight  by  the  intru- 
sion of  the  gravel  that  has  to  be  put  on  top  of  them. 

The  depth  of  the  trench  depends  very  much  on  the 
quality  of  the  subsoil,  and  has  to  be  regulated  by  it,  and 
so  with  the  ditch  for  the  drains. 

Such  walks  also  depend  very  much  on  the  quality  of 
the  soil,  and  very  often,  indeed  generally,  on  the  facility 
of  procuring  the  materials. 

In  some  places  I  have  seen  walks  and  roads  made  by 
simply  scratching  off  three  or  four  inches  of  light  top  soil, 
beneath  which  was  gravel  several  feet  deep.  Such  a  road 
may  be  dry,  but  is  very  noisy,  tiresome,  and  movable. 

In  other  instances  I  have  seen  walks  made  by  opening 
ditches  over  four  feet  deep,  only  for  the  sake  of  burying 
rocks  and  saving  the  soil  found  in  digging ;  these  form 
very  fine  drains,  and  help  to  clear  the  land  of  boulders 
and  rocks,  as  is  the  case  on  top  of  Orange  Mountain,  N.  J. 

The  second  diagram  (fig.  3)  shows  the  section  of  a  walk  or 
drive  requiring  more  drainage.  The  bottom  between  the 
two  drain  ditches  forms  a  curving  line,  on  which,  if  well 
placed,  the  stones  will  soon  form  an  arch,  and  give  the  road 
all  the  qualities  required. 


DESIGNS   FOR   ORNAMENTAL   GROUNDS.  21 

The  depth  here  is  not  as  much  regulated  by  the  quality 
of  the  soil  as  by  the  width  of  the  drive  or  roads.  The 
more  convexity  given  the  bottom,  the  better  for  the 
absorption  of  the  water  by  the  drain,  which  ought  to  be 
at  least  12  inches  deeper  than  the  extremity  of  the  curve, 
whilst  the  top  of  the  curve  must  remain  at  least  6  inches 
below  the  top  of  the  road  or  drive. 

Frequent  raking,  to  remove  the  larger  gravel  or  pebbles, 
and  more  frequent  rolling  during  damp  weather,  are  neces- 
sary for  new  walks. 

If  good  clay  is  at  hand,  a  thin  coat  of  it  may  be  put 
between  the  coarse  and  the  fine  gravel  on  top. 

Gutters  made  of  flagstone,  or  simply  paved,  will  be 
needed  only  where  there  is  a  great  descent  and  a  large 
accumulation  of  water  above,  or  sometimes  even  where 
the  ground  is  very  light  and  sandy,  although  the  surface 
may  slope  but  very  little. 

In  uneven  grounds,  drives  and  walks  are  to  be  made  in 
the  same  manner,  but  their  finish  and  beauty  will  nevei 
depend  upon  themselves,  nor  upon  the  way  in  which  they 
are  laid  down.  An  additional,  correct  grading  of  the 
grounds,  right  and  left,  so  as  to  bring  the  sod  every- 
where at  equal  height  over  the  gravel,  and  then  a  careful 
grading  of  the  grounds  3,  4,  to  6  feet  off  the  margin, 
where  the  soil  rises  or  falls,  is  indispensable  in  such  cases 
to  make  a  finished  drive. 

The  staking  out  of  such  uneven  walks,  and  the  regular 
distribution  of  their  grading,  to  avoid  unsightly  ups  and 
downs,  is  a  matter  of  taste  and  practice,  ruled  by  the 
shape  of  the  land  and  the  direction  of  the  walks. 

DESIGN  FOR  A  FLOWER-GARDEN. 

We  give  in  figure  4  (next  page)  a  design  for  a  regular 
flower-garden,  intended  for  the  ornamenting  of  the  foot 
of  a  terrace,  built  in  front  of  a  large  villa. 


PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 


The  terrace  is  intended  to  be  of  a  heavy  stone  work, 
about  three  feet  above  the  ground,  with  a  projection  in 


Fig.  4.— DESIGN  FOB  A  FLOWER  GABDEN. 

the  middle  and  two  steps  on  each  side,  leading  to  the 
main  walks  in  the  flower-garden. 

Such  an  arrangement,  often  seen  in  English  villas,  or  in 
English  designs,  belongs  only  to  large  pleasure  grounds, 
and  may  be  considered  as  the  real  "  dress  ground." 


DE8MN8  FOB  ORNAMENTAL  GROUNDS.         23 

This  design  has  been  expressly  made  with  the  view  of 
keeping  in  order  cheaply. 

The  lawn,  or  what  is  to  be  kept  in  sod,  is  as  much  as 
possible  in  regular  straight  lines,  easily  mowed  with  some 
of  the  patent  lawn-mowers. 

The  walks  are  wide,  as,  starting  from  the  bottom  of 
the  terrace,  they  will  be  overlooked  the  whole  length 
from  the  top,  and  would  appear  scanty  if  not  of  liberal 
dimensions. 

The  place  is  intended  to  be  kept  as  private  as  possible, — 
a  sort  of  open-air  saloon, — by  a  belt  of  selected  shrubbery, 
and  shade  trees  in  its  rear. 

At  1,  there  are  seats  indicated  in  several  recesses  cut 
into  the  shrubs,  the  seats  to  be  of  heavy  timber,  as  stone 
would  be  rather  too  cool,  and  iron  or  rustic  work  not 
looking  architectural  enough. 

At  2,  there  are  pedestals  for  pieces  of  statuary,  or  vases 
or  large  specimen  plants  in  painted  boxes. 

At  3,  4,  and  6,  groups  of  Roses,  bedding-out  plants  of 
broad,  showy  foliage,  or  flowering  shrubs,  such  as  Hydran- 
geas, which  continue  long  in  bloom. 

At  5,  the  centre  piece,  there  is  a  large  flower-bed  for 
Scarlet  Geraniums,  Feverfew,  etc.,  surrounded  by  a  border 
of  Irish  Ivy,  kept  in  line,  so  as  not  to  exceed  12  to  18 
inches  in  width. 

Such  borders  of  Ivy,  if  employed  in  the  right  place, 
and  well  kept  in  order,  are  a  magnificent  ornament  to  a 
garden,  and,  according  to  their  location,  may  be  kept  3  and 
4  feet  wide.  A  very  little  covering  in  winter  will  keep 
the  foliage,  of  the  right  sort,  in  very  good  order. 

In  the  large  squares,  plainly  sodded,  that  are  in  the 
gardens  of  the  Louvre  and  the  Tuileries,  at  Paris,  there 
is  no  other  ornament  but  such  borders  of  broad-leaved 
Ivy,  established  at  3  to  4  feet  from  the  walks,  and  left 
running  about  2  to  3  feet  wide ;  and  they  make,  with  the 
dark  green  or  the  lighter  turf,  a  most  striking  show. 


PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 


DESIGNS    FOB    ORNAMENTAL    GROUNDS.  25 

At  7,  on  the  floor  of  the  terrace,  and  protected  by  the 


Fig.  6.—  DESIGN  FOB  A  FLOWER-BED  IN  A  WALK.—  (Seepage  27.) 


shade  of  the  balustrade,  there  will  be  a  very  good  location 
for  hardy  Rhododendrons,  and  similar  shrubs. 

DESIGN   FOR   A   PARTERRE. 

The  design   (figure    5)   represents  a   parterre    to  be 


-TW 
Fig.  7.— DESIGN  FOR  FLOWER-BED  IN  A  WALK.— (See  page  28.) 

established  in  front  of  a  large  green-house,  or  conserva- 


26  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

tory,  and  bringing  together,  in  one  single  spot,  all  the 
flower-beds  generally  scattered  over  the  lawn,  on  a  large 
place.  For  privacy,  it  is  surrounded  by  a  belt  of  flower- 
ing shrubs. 

Two  principal  flower-beds,  at  1  and  2,  are  intended  to 
be  surrounded  by  a  small  evergreen  border,  kept  for  itself, 


Fig.  8. — FLOWER-BEDS  AT  THE  JcxcTiox  OF  WALKS. — (Seepage 2£) 

and  not  to  be  considered  as  an  edging ;  small  edging-box 
might  answer  best. 

At  3,  there  are  recesses  for  statuary,  behind  which  the 
foliage  ought  to  be  of  the  darkest  kind,  to  keep  the  white 
statuary  well  in  sight. 


DESIGNS   FOR    ORNAMENTAL   GROUNDS.  27 

At  4,  similar  recesses  for  seats  of  heavy  timber. 

At  5,  in  front  of  the  green-house,  alternating  with  the 
flower-beds,  are  single,  upright-growing  evergreens,  sym- 
metrically planted,  such  as  Irish  and  Swedish  Junipers, 
Taxus  erecta,  Podocarpus  Japonica,  Retinispora,  etc. 

At   6,   single    specimens   of   shrubs   of  medium    size, 


Fig.  9.— FLOWER-BEDS  AT   THE   TERMINUS   OF   A   WALK. 

remarkable  for  their  flowers,  fragrance,  or  fine  foliage ; 
for  example,  Deutzia  crenata  flore  pleno,  Pyrus  Japonica, 
Crataegus  Pyracantha,  or  the  Prunus  triloba. 

FLOWER  BEDS  IN  WALKS,  OR  JUNCTIONS  OF  WALKS. 

Figure  6  (p.  25),  and  the  three  following  illustrations,  are 
designs  for  introducing  ornamental  planting  where  oppor- 


28  PEACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

tunity  offers  along  the  course  of  a  walk.  In  figure  6,  the 
walk  divides  and  passes  each  side  of  abed  of  choice  shrub- 
bery, while  the  opposite  sides  of  the  walk  are  planted  with 
some  of  the  select  shrubs  already  named,  or  others.  By 
the  judicious  use  of  flowering  shrubs,  and  the  low-grow- 
ing evergreens,  very  fine  effects  may  be  produced.  ID 
figure  7,  is  a  similar  but  more  elaborate  plan,  which  allows 
of  the  introduction  of  flowers  in  masses  ;  such  an  arrange- 
ment would  be  very  appropriate  for  a  rose-garden.  In  fig. 
8,  we  have  a  design  for  ornamenting  the  point  at  which 
two  walks  unite  at  right  angles.  The  planting  may  be  of 
Ivy,  Trailing  Juniper,  and  other  low-growing  Evergreens, 
upon  a  ground-work  of  well-kept  grass,  or  flowers  may  be 
introduced.  In  figure  9,  we  have  a  bit  of  ornamental 
flower  garden  at  the  terminus  of  a  walk.  What  has  been 
said  of  the  selection  of  shrubs,  etc.,  in  describing  the  larger 
designs,  will  be  a  sufficient  guide  in  carrying  out  these 
smaller  plans. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PLANTING    OF    FLOWER-BEDS. 

Much  difference  prevails  in  the  modes  of  planting 
flower-beds,  some  holding  to  the  promiscuous  intersper- 
sion  of  the  different  plants,  others  to  the  ribbon  or  carpet 
style  of  planting,  now  so  general  in  Europe.  If  the  pro- 
miscuous system  is  adopted,  care  should  be  taken  to  dis- 
pose the  plants  in  the  beds  so  that  the  tallest  plants  will 
be  at  the  back  of  the  bed,  if  the  border  is  against  a  wall 
or  background  of  shrubbery,  the  others  gradating  to  the 
front,  according  to  height,  In  open  beds,  on  the  lawn, 
the  tallest  should  be  at  the  centre,  the  others  grading 


PLANTING    OP   FLOWER-BEDS.  29 

down  to  the  front,  on  all  sides,  interspersing  the  colors  so 
as  to  form  the  most  agreeable  contrast  in  shades.  But, 
for  grand  effect,  nothing,  in  our  estimation,  can  ever  be 
produced  in  promiscuous  planting  to  equal  that  obtained 
by  planting  in  masses  or  in  ribbon  lines.  In  the  grounds 
cut'  the  Crystal  Palace,  near  London,  and  at  the  Jardin  des 
Plantes,  in  Paris,  wonderful  specimens  of  this  mode  of 
planting  are  to  be  seen.  The  lawns  are  cut  so  as  to 
resemble  rich  green  velvet ;  on  these  the  flower-beds  are 
laid  out  in  every  style  that  art  can  conceive ;  some  are 
planted  in  masses  of  blue,  scarlet,  yellow,  crimson,  white, 
etc.,  separate  beds  of  each,  harmoniously  blended  on  the 
carpeting  of  green.  Then,  again,  the  ribbon  style  is  used 
in  the  large  beds,  in  forms  so  various  that  allusion  can 
here  be  made  to  only  a  few  of  the  most  conspicuous.  In 
a  circular  bed,  say  of  20  feet  in  diameter,  the  first  line 
towards  the  grass  is  blue  Lobelia,  attaining  a  height  of  6 
inches;  next  comes  the  famous  Mrs.  Pollock  Geranium, 
occupying  the  space  of  !•£  foot  wide  and  9  inches  high, 
with  its  gorgeous  leaves  and  flowers  ;  then,  against  that,  is 
a  line  of  Mountain  of  Snow  Geranium,  with  its  silvery 
white  foliage  and  scarlet  flowers,  backed  by  the  chocolate- 
colored  Coleus  Verschaffeltii ;  the  centre  being  a  mound 
of  scarlet  Salvia.  Another  style  is  a  fringe  for  the  front 
of  the  fern-like  white-leaved  Centaurea  gymnocarpa; 
back  of  that  is  the  Crystal  Palace  Scarlet  Geranium ;  then 
Phalaris  arundinacea  picta,  a  new  style  of  Ribbon  Grass ; 
next,  Coleus  Verschaffeltii,  and,  in  the  centre,  a  clump  of 
Canna,  or  Pampas  Grass. 

During  my  visit  to  Europe  last  year  (1872)  I  visited 
the  celebrated  Battersea  Park,  the  most  interesting,  in  a 
horticultural  view,  of  the  many  parks  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  London.  A  feature  peculiar  to  Battersea  Park  is 
the  subtropical  and  alpine  planting,  both  of  which  as  here 
done  were  to  us  a  novel  feature  of  landscape-gardening. 
It  was  interesting  to  see  how  common  and  rough-looking 


30  PRACTICAL   FLOKICCLTUKE. 

plants  were  made  to  produce  such  \vonderful  effects  when 
grouped  and  contrasted^  in  the  subtropical  arrangement. 
The  plants  used  were  mainly  Cannas,  Japanese  Maize 
(striped),  Wigandias,  Ferdinandas,  Bocconias,  Sola- 
nums,  and  many  of  the  tall-growing  sorts  of  Amar- 
anths. These  were  grouped  in  beds  of  every  conceivable 
form,  some  clearly  defined  on  the  broad  lawn,  some  skirt- 
ing the  edge  of  a  clump  of  trees,  others  planted  in  and 
among  the  trees  and  shrubbery  as  undergrowth,  giving 
the  impression  when  looking  at  it  under  the  leafy  shade 
of  trees  that  you  were  viewing  an  undergrowth  of  the 
tropics  rather  than  a  piece  of  the  most  artistical  planting 
of  an  English  park.  One  particular  spot,  which  will  not 
soon  be  forgotten,  is  a  ravine  of  considerable  extent,  well 
shaded  by  tall  trees,  where  were  planted  immense  plants 
of  tree  ferns,  the  stems  covered  with  Lycopodium,  so  ex- 
actly as  to  resemble  what  would  be  their  condition  in 
nature.  Behind  these  and  against  the  blue  sky  stood  out 
strongly  some  gigantic  Palms,  so  that  we  had  here  again 
a  glimpse  of  what  an  Australian  or  Indian  forest  might 
seem.  In  direct  contrast  to  these  was  a  hill,  a  miniature 
Alp,  planted  from  base  to  nearly  the  summit  with  alpine 
plants  of  the  rarest  kinds,  among  which  were  largely  in- 
terspersed Sedums,  Sempervivums,  and  other  succulents, 
in  rarity  and  variety  sufficient  to  give  joy  to  a  botanist's 
heart.  On  the  peaks  and  in  the  crevices  of  this  little  hill 
was  planted  closely  one  of  the  most  common  native  plants 
of  Britain,  Antennaria  dloica,  one  of  the  Everlastings, 
having  white  foliage,  and  this  plant  easily  conveyed  the 
impression  of  snow  on  the  hill-tops  and  in  its  gullies. 
Altogether,  on  this  little  mound  of  half  an  acre,  were 
planted  probably  three  hundred  distinct  species. 

Then  from  this  mound  of  botanical  interest,  the  first 
turn  brought  us  to  a  very  different  style  of  planting — the 
massing  or  ribbon  style,  or  what  would  be  more  appro- 
priately (as  it  is  done  here)  called  the  "  carpet  style," 


PLANTING    OF    FLOAVEK-BEDS.  31 

for  it  often  resembled  just  such  patterns  as  would  make  a 
beautiful  carpet.  This  style  is  meeting  now  with  much 
opposition  from  Mr.  Robinson,  editor  of  the  "  Garden"  and 
many  others ;  but  whatever  may  be  objectionable  to  those 
whose  conceptions  of  gardening  are  beyond  this  rectan- 
gular system,  there  is  no  denying  the  pleasure  that  it 
gives  to  the  masses — as  was  apparent  by  the  crowds  ad- 
miring these  flower-beds  at  Battersea  Park,  many  persons 
being  engaged  in  sketching  the  plans  and  taking  notes  of 
the  varieties  used  to  produce  the  effect.  This  park'  of 
Battersea  contains  only  two  hundred  acres.  Its  natural 
beauties  are  far  inferior  to  either  our  Central,  of  New 
York,  or  Prospect  Park,  of  Brooklyn ;  but  its  judicious 
system  of  planting,  which  gives  noveltv  and  freshness  at 
every  turn,  conveys  to  the  visitor  a  lasting  impression 
of  pleasure  that  the  plain,  monotonous  shrubbery  and 
lawn  of  our  New  York  parks  can  never  give.  The  public 
parks  in  Britain  or  Ireland  are  the  best  schools  of  taste  in 
floriculture  the  people  have  to  model  from ;  and  so  it 
should  be  with  us,  but  with  the  few  extremely  limited  at- 
tempts that  have  been  made  at  the  Central  Park  the  past 
two  years,  there  has  been  no  ornamental  planting  of  a 
public  character  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York.  Some  fine 
examples  of  this  kind  of  gardening  may  be  seen  in  pri- 
vate grounds  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  and  at  Forest 
Hill  Cemetery,  at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  where  the  effects  of 
massing  may  be  studied  to  advantage.  The  climate  of 
Boston  is  much  less  favorable  for  such  planting  than  that 
of  New  York,  yet  it  is  followed  with  gratifying  success. 
For  beds,  at  a  distance,  having  a  background  of  shrub- 
bery, large  and  bright-colored  foliage,  or  showy-flowering 
plants  only  should  be  used ;  of  these,  an  excellent  effect 
is  produced  by  having  Amaranthus  sanguineus  for  the 
background,  a  plant  of  crimson  foliage  growing  6  feet 
in  height ;  next  that,  Salvia  Gordonii,  with  its  scarlet 
feather-like  flowers,  attaining  a  height  of  four  feet,  fronted 


32  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

by  Dactylis  glomerata  variegata,  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful variegated  grasses,  which  grows  some  2  feet  high. 

For  narrow  beds  along  the  margins  of  walks,  ribbon 
lines  should  be  formed  of  low-growing  plants,  such  as  the 
white  Lobelia  Snowflake,  for  the  front  line,  followed  next 
by  Tom  Thumb  Tropeolum ;  then,  as  the  centre,  or  third 
line,  Fuchsia  Golden  Fleece ;  as  a  second  marginal  line 
on  the  other  side,  Geranium  Flower  of  Spring,  with  its 
white  foliage  and  scarlet  flowers,  followed  by  a  line  of 
Lobelia  Paxtonii. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SOILS    FOR    POTTING. 

I  rarely  pick  up  a  work  on  floriculture  but  the  matter 
of  soils  is  treated  of  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  perfectly  be- 
wildering to  amateurs,  if  not  also  to  professional  florists. 
One  authority  gives  a  table  of  not  less  than  19  sorts ! 
Whether  these  authorities  practice  as  they  preach  is  very 
questionable ;  some  of  them  I  know  do  not,  but  why  they 
should  thus  write  to  mystify  those  they  attempt  to  teach, 
can  only  be  ascribed  to  a  desire  to  impress  their  readers 
with  the  profundity  of  their  knowledge  on  such  subjects. 
Now,  what  is  the  effect  of  such  instructions  ?  Our  ama- 
teur cultivators  are  disheartened,  as  such  combinations  are 
to  them  perfectly  impracticable.  The  private  gardener, 
perhaps,  falls  back  on  his  employer,  and  ascribes  the  un- 
healthy condition  of  his  plants  to  the  efiect  of  his  not 
being  able  to  procure  such  and  such  a  soil,  which,  he  says, 
is  necessary  for  some  special  class  of  plants,  and  excuses 
his  failures  thereby.  The  young  florist,  beginning  busi- 
ness in  some  country  town,  with  restricted  means,  and  with 


SOILS   FOE  POTTING.  33 

limited  knowledge  of  what  he  is  undertaking,  looks  upon 
this  august  authority  in  despair,  and  his  heart  sinks  within 
him  when  he  knows  that  no  silver  sand  is  within  a  thou- 
sand miles  of  him,  and  he  is  told,  without  qualification, 
that  it  is  necessary  for  his  propagating  bench,  or  as  an 
ingredient  in  his  potting  soils.  He  begins  without  it,  and 
as  he  will  possibly  make  some  failures,  these  failures  are 
laid  at  the  door  of  the  soil  or  sand  that  he  has  been 
obliged  to  use,  while  the  chances  are,  twenty  to  one,  that 
they  were  not.  Not  the  least  satisfaction  I  have  in  writing 
this  book  is,  that  of  being  able  to  attempt  the  simplifica- 
tion of  many  of  our  operations  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
put  the  means  of  doing  the  work  within  reach  of  any 
one.  Not  the  least  simple  of  these  operations  is  the 
preparation  of  our  Potting  Soil.  We  have,  we  may  say, 
only  one  heap — a  big  one  it  is — but  it  contains  only  two 
ingredients,  rotted  sods,  from  a  loamy  pasture,  and  rotted 
refuse  hops  from  the  breweries,  in  about  the  proportion  of 
two  of  the  sods  to  one  of  the  hops.  The  sods  are  cut 
during  spring  or  summer,  and  laid,  with  grassy  sides  to- 
gether, so  as  to  decompose,  and  the  heap  is  repeatedly 
turned  until  it  becomes  friable.  The  rotted  refuse  hops 
(one  year  old),  or  rotted  manure,  is  then  added,  either  at 
once  or  when  the  soil  is  wanted  for  potting.  For  small 
pots, — from  2  to  4  inches — we  run  it  through  a  sieve  of  •£- 
inch  meshes,  which  thoroughly  incorporates  the  parts ;  for 
larger  pots,  it  is  not  necessary  to  run  it  through  a  sieve, 
unless,  perhaps,  for  the  sake  of  thoroughly  mixing,  it  may 
be  quicker  to  run  it  through  a  l|-inch  screen  or  sieve.  If 
the  loam  is  rather  clayey,  we  use  more  hops ;  if  rather 
sandy,  less  than  the  proportion  named.  If  refuse  hops 
are  not  attainable,  thoroughly  rotted  horse  or  cow  manure 
will  do  nearly  as  well.  From  this  mould  heap  the  soil  is 
taken  in  which  our  plants  of  every  description  are 
grown  and  flowered;  we  make  no  exceptions,  unless 
in  the  case  of  the  few  fine-rooting  plants,  such  as  Heaths, 


34  PBACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

Azaleas,  Epacris,  etc.  In  potting  these,  we  use  about 
two-thirds  of  the  decayed  refuse  hops,  to  one  of  loam;  if 
the  hops  are  not  attainable,  leaf  mould  from  the  woods 
will  do,  in  lieu  of  the  hops,  for  this  purpose.  Our  general 
mould  heap  supplies  the  soil,  alike  for  Bouvardias,  Be- 
gonias, Carnations,  Camellias,  Chrysanthemums,  Daphne, 
Dracenas,  Dahlias,  Fuchsias,  Ferns,  Gazan;as,  Gardenias, 
Geraniums,  Hyacinths,  Liliums,  Lantanas,  Petunias,  Pan- 
sies,  Roses,  Tuberoses,  Violets,  and  Verbenas.  Whether 
plants  show  vigorous  growth  under  this  universal  applica- 
tion of  soil  to  their  varied  natures,  our  hundreds  of 
patrons,  who  will  be  readers  of  this  book,  can  attest.  If 
any  of  the  disciples  of  the  old  school  doubt  this,  let  them 
come  and  have  ocular  evidence  of  the  fact.  Our  location 
is  within  half  an  hour's  walk  (or  15  minutes'  ride)  of  the 
city  of  New  York ;  our  gates  and  doors  are  always  open ; 
visitors  are  free  to  go  and  examine  as  they  choose.  They 
will  see  our  mould  heap  looming  up  like  a  miniature 
mountain ;  they  will  see  hundreds  of  thousands  of  plants, 
natives  of  every  clime,  deriving  their  luxuriant  growth 
from  this  one  source.  While  ignoring  the  necessity  of 
special  varieties  of  soil,  for  special  families  of  plants,  I  do 
not  mean  to  say  that  plants  may  not  be  grown  as  well  by 
the  use  of  such  different  compounds  as  by  ours ;  but  I 
claim,  as  a  whole,  they  can  be  grown  no  better,  and  that 
the  advice  to  make  use  of  these  combinations  is  bewildering 
to  the  amateur,  or  inexperienced  gardener,  troublesome  in 
its  practice,  and  of  no  benefit  whatever  in  its  results.  In 
proof  of  this,  I  have,  on  different  occasions,  received 
Camellias  from  half  a  dozen  different  growers  in  Phila- 
delphia, hardly  two  of  whom  use  the  same  soil,  but  all 
grow  them  well.  So  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  where 
the  soil  is  varied  at  the  different  points,  as  much  as  soil 
can  be ;  yet  we  see  growers  using  very  different  compounds 
with  equally  good  results,  showing,  as  has  long  ago  been 
satisfactory  to  me,  that  special  soils  have  less  to  do  with 


TEMPEBATUEJE  ANT>   MOISTURE.  35 

the  healthy  growth  of  plants  than  the  proper  application 
of  temperature  and  moisture.  In  cities  having  paved 
streets,  we  find  the  sweepings  to  be  a  most  valuable  in- 
gredient, which  may  be  used  to  advantage  in  lieu  of  re- 
fuse bops,  manure,  or  leaf-mould. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

TEMPERATURE    AND    MOISTURE. 

Many  young  gardeners  and  amateurs  flounder  befogged, 
attributing  failure  of  crops  in  the  garden,  or  want  of 
health  of  plants  in  the  green-house,  to  bad  seeds,  uncon- 
genial soil  or  fertilizers,  when  it  is  much  oftener  the  case 
that  the  cause  is  of  a  totally  different  nature,  and  entirely 
within  their  control.  A  temperature  at  which  seeds  are 
sown  and  plants  grown  must  be  congenial  to  the  nature 
of  the  variety,  else  success  can  not  follow.  In  a  tempera- 
ture at  which  a  Portulaca  will  vigorously  germinate,  a 
Pansy  seed  would  lie  dormant,  or  at  least  show  a  sickly 
existence,  and  vice  versa.  Nearly  half  of  the  Lima  beans 
sown  annually  perish  by  being  sown  from  two  to  three 
weeks  too  early,  by  the  impatience  of  our  embryo  horticul- 
turists. On  the  other  hand,  the  colder-blooded  Carrot  or 
Turnip  seed  all  but  refuse  to  germinate  in  the  sultry  days 
of  July.  Seeds  of  Calceolarias,  Cinerarias,  Chinese  Prim- 
roses, and  Pansies,  will  germinate  more  freely  and  make 
better  plants  by  delaying  the  sowing  until  the  middle  of 
September  than  if  sown  earlier.  Many  failures  are  attrib- 
utable to  want  of  knowledge  of  this  fact,  and,  without 
question,  laid  to  the  charge  of  the  seedsman. 

The  same  necessity  of  accommodating  the  temperature 


36  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

to  the  nature  of  a  matured  plant  exists  even  to  a  greater 
extent  than  it  does  with  the  seed ;  and  one  of  the  main 
causes  of  want  of  success  in  cultivating  plants  under  glass 
is  a  want  of  knowledge,  or  from  carelessness  in  keeping  a 
temperature  unsuited  to  the  growth  of  the  plants.  In 
ordinary  green-house  collections  the  fault  is  oftener  in  the 
temperature  being  kept  too  high  than  too  low,  for  it  is 
much  easier,  requiring  far  less  watchfulness  by  the  person 
in  charge  to  keep  up  a  high  temperature.  The  injury 
done  by  this  is  gradual,  and  will  not,  like  the  action  of 
frost  on  the  plants,  show  in  the  morning.  In  consequence 
of  this,  we  often  see  the  green-houses  containing  Camel- 
lias, Azaleas,  Pelargoniums,  Carnations,  etc.,  etc.,  swelter- 
ing under  a  continued  night  temperature  of  60°  or  65°, 
when  their  nature  demands  15°  lower. 

It  is  true,  we  too  often  see  collections  of  hot-house  and 
green-house  plants  intermingled,  and  attempts  made  to 
grow  them,  which,  of  necessity,  result  in  failure  to  one  or 
the  other.  The  temperature  to  grow,  in  healthy  condition, 
Coleus,  Bouvnrdia,  or  Poinsettia  (hot-house  plants)  would 
not  be  likely  to  maintain  Verbenas,  Carnations,  or  Gerani- 
ums lotig  in  a  healthy  state.  The  same  rules  follow  as  to 
the  propagating-house,  showing  the  necessity,  even  in  a 
greater  degree,  of  observing  the  requirements  of  their  differ- 
ent natures.  Coleus,  Bouvardia,  Begonia,  and  Lantana  root 
in  a  bottom  heat  of  75°,  with  atmospheric  temperature  of 
65°,  in  ten  days ;  at  20°  lower  they  will  not  root  at  all, 
but  will  perish.  Although  cuttings  of  plants  of  a  more 
hardy  nature  will  root  in  some  conditions  of  growth  at 
this  temperature,  yet  we  prefer,  to  insure  plants  of  vigor* 
ous  health,  that  Verbenas,  Carnations,  Geraniums,  Roses, 
«tc.,  be  rooted  in  a  temperature  at  least  15°  lower,  both 
in  the  bottom  heat  and  temperaturfl  of  the  house. 

The  subject  is  one  that  relates  to  so  many  varieties  and 
different  conditions  of  organism  at  the  different  seasons 
of  growth,  that  it  is  impossible  to  convey  to  the  inexperi- 


TEMPEBATUBE   AtfD   MOISTUBE.  87 

enced  what  these  varieties  and  conditions  are ;  but  my 
object  is  to  impress  upon  young  or  inexperienced  readers 
what  I  have  long  believed  to  be  an  important  truth — that 
the  supplying  the  proper  conditions  of  temperature  to 
plants  under  glass,  according  to  their  different  natures 
and  conditions,  has  as  much,  or  more,  to  do  with  their 
welfare  than  any  other  cause  ;  and  that  often  when  ascrib- 
ing the  unhealthy  state  of  a  plant  to  uncongenial  soil  or 
defective  drainage, or  the  "damping  off"  of  some  favorite 
cutting  to  the  way  it  was  cut  or  the  sand  it  was  put  in, 
the  true  and  sole  cause  of  failure  was  nothing  more  than 
condemning  them  to  an  atmosphere  uncongenial  to  their 
nature. 

Thus  far,  we  mainly  allude  to  temperature.  Serious 
injury  is  often  done  to  plants  from  a  want  of,  or  excess  of, 
moisture.  The  old  gardener  with  whom  my  first  essay  in 
gardening  was  made  used  to  define  the  difference  in  dryness 
in  plants  as  "  dry  "  and  "  killing  dry  ;"  "  dry  "  was  the 
proper  condition  that  the  plant  should  be  in,  when  water 
was  applied,  the  surface  indicating  dryness  by  becoming 
lighter,  but  no  flagging  or  wilting ;  but  woe  betide  the 
unfortunate  that  allowed  a  plant  in  charge  to  become  in  the 
condition  of  "  killing  dry ;"  this  in  his  eye  was  an  unpar- 
donable offence.  "  Killing  dry"  was,  to  some  extent,  really 
killing  in  such  a  collection  as  we  grew,  which  consisted 
largely  of  Cape  Heaths,  Epacris,  and  other  hard-wooded 
plants,  which  are  easily  killed  outright  by  allowing  their 
tender, thread-like  rootlets  to  become  dry;  unlike  soft- 
wooded  plants,  such  as  Geraniums,  or  Fuchsias,  they  have 
less  recuperative  powers,  so  that  a  "  dry"  that  would  kill 
a  Heath  would  have  only  the  effect  to  stagnate  the  growth 
of  a  Geranium,  and  bring  the  tell-tale  yellow  leaves  that 
are  certain  to  follow  whenever  such  plants  have  suffered  for 
a  lack  or  excess  of  moisture.  Although  the  effect  of  dry- 
ing is,  for  the  tune  being  perhaps,  less  marked  in  a  hard- 
wooded  plant  than  in  a  soft-wooded  one,  yet  the  ultimate 


38  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

effect  is  much  more  fatal.  To  the  unpractised  eye,  a  Heath 
that  has  been  injured  by  drouth  may  appear  all  right, 
while  it  is  gone  beyond  recovery.  The  old  gardener 
before  alluded  to  used  to  make  his  dead  Heaths  do  excel- 
lent service  in  assisting  him  in  some  severe  jokes  played 
on  his  less  experienced  brethren.  Specimen  plants  of 
Heaths  were  scarce,  and  in  some  sorts,  very  valuable,  and 
if  he  succeeded  in  making  a  present  of  one  of  these  dead 
plants  to  one  of  his  less  posted  friends,  it  used  to  keep 
him  in  good  humor  for  a  week. 

No  plant  should  ever  be  allowed  to  flag  or  wilt  for 
want  of  moisture,  neither  should  it  be  watered  until  the 
necessity  for  water  is  shown  by  the  whitening  of  the 

surface  of  the  soil, 
particularly  if  in 
dull  Aveather,  or  if 
the  green-house  is 
kept  at  a  low  tem- 
perature. As  a 
rule,  with  green- 
house plants  kept 

in  a  night  temperature  of  45°,  with  a  day  temperature  of 
60°,  watering  twice  a  week  from  December  to  March  will 
generally  be  sufficient ;  on  the  approach  of  clear  weather, 
with  higher  temperature  in  April  and  May,  they  will  re- 
quire daily  attention. 

Our  practice  is  to  water  during  winter  with  the  common 
rose  watering-pots,  of  the  pattern  shown  in  fig.  10,  giving 
the  plants  water  sparingly,  or  otherwise,  as  required. 
But  as  spring  opens,  we  go  at  the  operation  more  expe- 
ditiously,  using  a  West's  Force  Pump  (fig.  11),  and  2-inch 
rubber  hose.  To  the  end  of  the  hose  is  attached  a  heavy 
sprinkler,  similar  to  that  shown  in  the  common  watering-pot 
(fig.  10).  In  all  districts  where  there  is  no  hydrant- water, 
this  means  of  watering  will  be  found  to  be  most  thorough 
and  effective.  In  my  work,  "  Gardening  for  Profit,"  I 


TEMPERATURE    AND    MOISTURE. 


39 


expressed  the  opinion  that  no  labor-saving  appliance  we 
had  ever  used  was  so  satisfactory  as  this ;  two  years  have 
passed  since  then,  and,  with  increased  work  to  do,  we  are 
still  more  than  satisfied.  One  man  pumps,  another  regu- 
lates the  water  and  sprinkles  it  over  the  plants;  each 
green-house,  of  100  feet  long  by  11  feet  wide,  is  watered 
thoroughly  in  15  minutes ;  the  changing  of  the  hose  from 
one  house  to  another  re- 
lieves the  workman  from 
the  labor  of  pumping  for 
a  few  minutes,  so  that 
when  the  change  is  made 
of  the  hose  to  another 
house,  he  is  ready  to 
start  afresh  again.  By 
this  mode  of  watering, 
we  not  only  give  the 
plants  a  thorough  drench- 
ing, but  we  save  at  least 
three-fourths  of  the  labor 
that  is  usually  spent  in 
watering  with  the  water- 
ing-pot. Some  may  ob- 
ject to  this  rough-look- 
ing way  of  watering 
plants;  to  such  we  say, 
even  with  the  danger  of 
being  thought  to  be 
puffing  our  own  wares,  come  and  look  at  the  results  of 
such  rough  work.  We  have  now  practised  it  for  the  past 
four  years,  and  have  lost  thousands  of  dollars  by  not 
having  done  so  from  the  beginning. 

Two  rules  are  laid  down  by  nearly  all  writers  that  I 
have  read  on  floriculture,  in  reference  to  the  water  to  be 
used  for  plants;  one,  that  it  must  be  rain,  or  at  least 
"  soft "  water;  the  other,  that  the  water  should  be  of  the 


Fig.  11. — WEST'S  FORCE  PUMP. 


40  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

same  temperature  as  the  atmosphere  in  which  the  planti 
are  growing. 

To  both  these  dogmas,  I  beg  to  respectfully  enter  my 
protest.  Such  dogmas  are  handed  down  from  one  to 
another,  without  one  in  a  hundred  of  those  who  hold 
them  having  either  the  opportunity  or  inclination  to  test 
their  truth  by  experiment.  My  green-houses,  at  Jersey 
City,  for  a  dozen  years,  were  entirely  watered  from  a  deep 
well  of  hard  water,  winter  and  summer,  which  might 
average  in  temperature  40°  ;  most  of  my  green-houses, 
now  at  Bergen  City,  are  watered  from  cisterns  inside  the 
green-houses,  from  rain-water  caught  by  the  roof;  yet  we 
have  never  been  able  to  see  that  our  plants  have  been  any 
better  grown  or  healthier  in  one  place  than  in  the  other. 
If  any  one  will  take  the  trouble  to  reason  for  a  minute, 
he  will  understand  why  there  is  no  necessity  for  this 
equality  of  temperature  between  the  water  and  the  soil. 
If  we  plunge  a  thermometer  into  the  soil  of  a  plant  in  the 
hot-house,  it  may  indicate  say  80° ;  if  we  pour  a  pint  of 
water  at  40°  into  the  soil,  the  temperature  will  not  be  40°, 
but  about  the  mean  between  40°  and  80°,  say  60°.  Now 
if  the  soil  remained  for  any  length  of  time  at  60°,  it  might 
be  claimed  to  be  injurious ;  but  it  does  not.  In  10  minutes 
it  will  become  of  the  same  temperature  as  before  it  was 
watered,  or  nearly  so,  by  the  absorption  of  heat  from  the 
atmosphere  of  the  house.  It  is  the  duration  of  extremes 
of  temperature  that  does  the  mischief;  place  a  plant  of 
Coleus  in  a  temperature  of  33°  for  24  hours,  and  it  will  be 
almost  certain  to  die,  while  it  would  remain  as  many 
minutes  without  injury.  Let  a  dash  of  sun  raise  the  tem- 
perature of  your  hot-bed  to  100°,  or  over,  for  10  minutes, 
and  it  will  not  seriously  injure  the  contents,  but  an  hour 
of  this  temperature  might  destroy  the  whole. 

We  pour  ice-water  into  our  stomachs  at  a  temperature 
of  less  than  40°,  with  impunity,  because  but  a  few  minutes 
suffices  to  bring  it  to  the  temperature  it  meets  with  there  ; 


THE   POTTING   OF   PLA2TCS.  4-1 

did  we  swallow  a  sufficient  quantity  to  keep  the  stomach 
at  the  temperature  of  ice-water  for  any  length  of  time, 
fatal  results  would  follow. 

A  point  indispensable  in  our  hot  and  arid  climate  is, 
that  all  plants  in  the  green-house  should  stand  on  close 
benches,  overlaid  with  sand  or  ashes,  or  some  such  mate- 
rial. This  keeps  moist  and  prevents  the  plants  from  suf- 
fering, if  any  omission  occur  in  watering.  "We  know  that 
the  practice  in  many  places  is  entirely  different  from  this, 
the  plants  being  stood  on  benches  of  open  slat-work. 
No  plant  can  be  kept  healthy  in  such  a  place,  unless  with 
at  least  double  the  labor  of  watering  necessary  with  those 
standing  on  sand.  This,  like  many  other  of  our  mistakes, 
is  copied  from  the  mode  pursued  in  England,  where  a 
colder,  moister,  and  less  sunny  climate  may  make  it  a 
necessary  practice. 

For  this  reason  also,  we  prefer  to  use  benches,  or  tables, 
instead  of  the  stair-like  green-house  stage,  which  is  now 
almost  discarded. 


CHAPTER  Vtt 

THE    POTTING    OF    PLANTS. 

The  first  operation  of  potting  is  when  the  rooted  cutting 
is  transferred  from  the  cutting-bed  to  the  pot.  Almost 
without  exception,  plants  of  every  variety,  at  this  stage, 
should  be  placed  in  a  2-inch  pot ;  occasionally  some  of  the 
coarser-growing  Geraniums  may  require  the  3-inch  size, 
from  the  fact  of  the  roots  being  too  large  for  the  2-inch  ; 
but  there  are  few  exceptions  of  this  kind.  The  great 
mass  of  plants,  when  in  the  condition  of  rooted  cuttings, 


42  PRACTICAL   FLOEICULTUKE. 

do  much  better  in  the  smaller  size,  for  the  reason  that  the 
smaller  mass  of  soil  in  the  2-inch  pot  allows  the  moisture 
to  pass  off  quicker,  and  thereby  prevents  the  soil  from 
becoming  sour,  or  sodden,  which  would  be  the  case,  more 
or  less,  if  the  cutting  had  been  overpotted  in  a  3  or  4-inch 
pot.  The  operation  of  potting  cuttings  is  very  simple, 
and,  in  florists'  establishments,  is  performed  with  great 
rapidity,  average  workmen  doing  200  plants  per  hour. 
The  pot  is  filled  to  the  level  with  soil,  a  space  made  with 
the  finger,  in  the  centre  of  the  soil,  of  sufficient  size  to 
admit  the  root,  which  is  placed  in  the  opening  thus 
made ;  the  soil  is  closed  in  again  by  pressing  with  the 
thumbs,  close  to  the  neck  of  the  cutting,  which  firms  the 
soil  around  the  root ;  a  smart  rap  is  struck  the  side  of 
pot  with  the  hand,  which  levels  the  surface  of  the  soil,  and 
the  operation  is  done.  For  nearly  all  the  commoner  kinds 
of  bedding  plants,  such  as  Verbenas,  Heliotropes,  etc., 
cuttings  in  these  2-inch  pots,  if  stood  on  tables,  which  are 
covered  with  an  inch  of  sand,  and  occasionally  moved,  to 
keep  the  roots  from  pushing  too  far  through  into  the  sand, 
will  grow  in  a  healthy  condition  from  three  to  four 
months,  at  least,  at  the  cool  season  of  the  year,  from 
January  to  May.  But  when  plants  are  required  to  be 
grown  as  specimens,  or  of  larger  size  for  sale  in  spring, 
they  must  be  repotted  at  intervals,  as  the  condition  of 
their  growth  demands ;  for  example,  to  grow  a  Fuchsia 
of  a  height  of  6  feet  and  3  feet  in  diameter,  a  pot  of  at 
least  12  inches  across  at  top,  and  12  inches  in  depth,  would 
be  necessary,  but  it  would  not  do  to  jump  from  the  2-inch 
cutting  pot  to  this  size  at  once ;  three  or  four  different 
shifts  are  necessary  to  attain  this  end  ;  these  shifts  should 
be  made,  as  a  general  thing,  not  greater  than  from  a  2- 
inch  size  to  a  4-inch,  and  so  on.  I  know  that,  a  few  years 
ago,  considerable  agitation  was  made  in  favor  of  what  was 
termed  the  "one  shift  system,"  and  fine  specimens  were 
exhibited  by  its  advocates,  to  show  its  advantages.  There 


THE   POTTING   OF   PLANTS.  43 

is  no  question  that,  in  the  hands  of  a  careful  and  experi- 
enced man,  it  can  be  done,  but  it  must  necessitate  much 
closer  watching  in  watering,  involving  much  more  labor 
than  the  trouble  of  the  safer  plan  of  repeated  shiftings. 
The  time  to  shift  a  plant  from  a  smaller  to  a  larger  pot  ia 
shown  by  the  roots  beginning  to  mat  around  the  outer 
surface  of  the  ball.  It  is  not  necessary  to  shift  when  the 
first  roots  touch  the  side  of  the  pot ;  let  them  curl  pretty 
well  around  the  ball,  but  they  must  not  be  allowed  to 
remain  long  enough  to  become  hard  or  woody.  They  must 
be  of  that  condition  known  to  gardeners  as  "  working 
roots,"  a  condition  not  very  easy  to  describe,  unless  to 
say  that  the  appearance  of  such  roots  is  white,  soft,  and 
succulent.  We  would  think  that  the  mode  of  shifting  a 
plant  from  a  smaller  to  a  larger  pot  would  soon  suggest  itself 
to  the  operator,  even  though  he  had  never  seen  it  done ; 
but  it  is  a  little  ludicrous  to  see  the  various  absurd 
methods  sometimes  resorted  to  by  our  amateur  friends  to 
attain  this  very  simple  end.  One  proceeds  with  a  knife 
and  inserts  it  all  around  the  sides  of  the  pot,  and  thus 
scoops  it  out ;  another  favorite  way  is  to  break  the  pot 
with  a  hammer.  I  have  known  many  of  our  lady  amateurs 
to  practice  these  methods,  who,  no  doubt,  knew  well  how 
to  turn  a  pudding  or  a  jelly  out  of  a  form,  but  who  did 
not  think  that  the  ball  of  earth  enveloping  the  roots  of  a 
plant  could  be  turned  out  of  a  flower-pot  in  the  same  way. 
In  most  cases,  the  slightest  tap  on  the  edge  of  the  pot  is 
sufficient  to  turn  out  the  ball  of  earth.  Soil,  in  depth  ac- 
cording to  the  size  of  the  plant,  should  be  placed  in  the 
bottom  of  the  pot,  the  baU  placed  in  the  centre,  and  the 
soil  packed  moderately  firm  in  the  space,  either  by  the 
fingers  or  by  a  piece  of  stick  made  cf  suitable  size  for  the 
purpose.  When  plants  are  first  potted  off,  or  shifted,  they 
should  be  stood  with  the  pots  touching  each  other,  if  the 
diameter  of  the  plant  is  less  than  that  of  the  pot ;  but,  ai 
they  begin  to  develop  growth,  the  plant?  should  be  spread 


44  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

apart,  according  to  their  size  or  development  of  foliage, 
to  allow  the  air  free  circulation  about  the  outside  of  the 
pots.  The  effect  of  this  is  most  marked  in  the  green- 
house, and  teaches  us  a  lesson  as  to  the  great  necessity  of 
the  admission  of  air  to  the  roots  in  all  our  operations, 
whether  under  glass  or  in  the  open  field.  If  "we  pot  off  a 
lot  of  Fuchsias,  Geraniums,  or  other  large-leaved  plants, 
with  the  pots  touching  each  other,  and  place  them  in  a 
temperature  of  60°,  in  eight  or  ten  days  they  will  have 
grown  so  as  to  cover  the  whole  space  over,  so  that  the  pots 
can  hardly  be  seen.  Examine  those  in  the  centre  of  the 
lot,  and  it  will  be  found  that  the  roots  that  have  reached 
to  the  side  of  the  pot  are  few  and  feeble ;  but  move  a  por- 
tion of  the  pots  so  that  a  space  of  an  inch  or  two  is  made 
between  each,  to  give  the  air  a  free  circulation  around 
the  pots,  and  in  six  days  after  it  will  be  found  that  strong 
and  healthy  roots  will  have  been  emitted  by  those  that 
have  been  given  the  additional  space,  while  the  others  left 
standing  close  have  made  little  or  no  progress  in  root 
formation,  and  but  a  slender  and  weakly  upward  growth. 
The  roots  in  the  open  field,  could  we  see  them  in  their 
unbroken  state,  as  we  can  in  turning  out  a  plant  from  a 
pot,  would  show  the  same  differences  in  vitality  under  cor- 
responding circumstances. 

It  has  often  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  many  amateurs, 
and  even  professional  gardeners,  how  it  is  that  such  extraor- 
dinary vigor  and  health  are  obtained  in  the  plants  grown  by 
many  New  York  florists,  in  pots  that  seem  to  be  entirely 
inadequate  in  size  for  the  support  of  such  vigor.  This  is 
done  by  a  practice  not  very  generally  known  outside  of 
this  vicinity.  When  a  plant  shows  by  the  condition  of  its 
roots  that  it  requires  a  supply  of  fresh  soil  for  its  support, 
instead  of  shifting  it  into  a  large  pot,  it  is  taken  out  and 
the  soil  washed  clean  from  the  roots,  and  either  placed 
back  again  in  the  same  pot,  in  fresh  soil,  or  in  one  of  n 
single  size  larger. 


THE    POTTING    OF   PLANTS.  45 

This  washing  the  soil  from  the  roots,  instead  of  shaking 
it  off,  has  the  advantage  of  leaving  all  the  fibres  or  work- 
ing roots  intact,  while  by  shaking  the  soil  off  the  ball,  the 
most  valuable  parts  of  the  root  are  injured.  Plants  thus 
grown  are  particularly  -valuable  for  distant  shipment,  as  a 
strong-rooted  and  vigorous  plant  is  obtained  without  the 
necessity  of  shipping  a  heavy  weight  of  soil. 

The  same  practice  is  resorted  to  in  another  way,  to 
effect  a  saving  of  freight  in  shipments.  For  many  years 
we  have  sent  to  our  patrons  in  the  trade  thousands  of 
plants  annually,  every  particle  of  soil  being  first  washed 
from  the  roots ;  the  plants,  in  all  cases,  arriving  in  as  fine 
order  as  if  they  had  been  sent  with  the  ball  of  soil  around 
them,  and  saving  at  least  nine-tenths  of  the  freight. 

This  practice,  however,  is  not  proper,  unless  the  season 
is  early  enough  for  the  plants  to  have  time  to  become 
established  in  the  pots,  and  it  is  not  prudent  to  do  so  later 
than  March.  If  the  weather  is  hot,  more  care  is  neces- 
sary in  shading  the  plants  until  they  have  begun  to  root 
in  the  new  soil. 

I  have  never  yet  seen  any  writer  on  floriculture  but  who, 
in  his  instructions  on  the  potting  of  plants,  reiterates  the 
cry  of  his  predecessors  about  the  imperative  necessity  of 
draining  pots,  in  the  operation  of  shifting  or  potting 
plants.  This  draining  process  is  performed  in  various 
ways,  according  to  the  school  in  which  the  operator  has 
been  trained,  or  whose  book  authority  he  has  taken  as  his 
guide ;  one  simply  places  a  piece  of  potsherd,  or  crock, 
over  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot ;  another  goes  at  it 
more  elaborately,  placing  large  pieces  below,  and  grading 
off  with  finer  ones,  to  the  height  of  2  or  3  inches ;  another 
finds  great  virtue  in  charcoal,  as  a  drainage,  used  in  the 
same  way ;  another  knows  that  oyster-shells,  for  that  pur- 
pose, cannot  be  excelled,  and  practices  accordingly. 

Now  fifteen  years'  extensive  practice  in  the  growing  of 
plants,  without  the  use  of  crocks,  charcoal,  or  any  other 


46  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

substitute,  has  led  me  to  believe  that  the  system  is  utterly 
wrong  in  theoiy  and  perfectly  useless  in  practice. 

It  is  wrong  in  theory,  for  I  contend  that  the  escape  of 
moisture  or  draining  from  the  flower-pots  takes  place,  in 
a  very  slight  degree,  from  the  bottom,  but  almost  entirely 
from  the  porous  sides  of  the  flower-pot.  Every  gardener 
knows  how  quickly  the  soil  gets  sour  in  a  glazed,  a  dirty, 
or  a  hard-burned  pot,  let  him  drain  or  crock  it  as  he  will, 
and  that  yellow  leaves  and  a  sickly  growth  quickly  fol- 
low. If  the  patient  is  not  too  far  gone,  removal  from  the 
glazed  pot  to  one  of  proper  texture  will  quickly  recusci- 
tate,  even  if  the  draining  or  crocking  is  dispensed  with. 
Whenever  we  wish  to  recuscitate  an  unhealthy  plant,  we 
wash  the  soil  from  the  roots  and  pot  in  a  new  pot,  where 
the  drainage  is  perfect  from  its  porous  sides.  "What  better 
evidence  can  be  given  than  this  universally  known  fact 
that  the  theory  of  the  operation  is  wrong?  "Whether 
this  sufficiently  proves  the  theory  of  the  operation  to  be 
wrong,  may  be  questioned  by  some,  but  that  the  system 
is  useless,  utterly  useless,  in  our  practice,  cannot  very  well 
be  questioned.  It  is  upwards  of  fifteen  years  since  I 
utterly  dispensed  with  the  use  of  the  so-called  draining 
of  pots ;  in  that  time  some  millions  of  plants  have  been 
grown  by  us,  and  few  will  say,  from  the  appearance  of 
the  plants,  that  they  suffered  by  the  deviation  from  the 
orthodox  system. 

In  our  annual  importations  of  English  novelties,  at  prices 
often  double  their  weight  in  gold,  the  pots  always  come 
filled  one-third  up  with  the  inevitable  potsherd.  Little 
reverence  is  had  for  this  labor  of  poor  John  Bull ;  the 
smallest  boy  in  our  establishment  learns  to  sneer  at  him 
when  he  sees  the  drainage  dispensed  with,  and  the  pam- 
pered $10.00  novelty  growing  vigorously  under  our  radical 
regime. 

"Ah !  but "  exclaims  some  dyed-in-the-wool  old  fogy, "  it's 
all  very  well  on  your  Roses  and  soft-wooded  plants  ;  dis- 


THE   POTTING    OP   PLANTS.  47 

pcnse  with  your  crocking  in  growing  Azaleas,  Heaths, 
Epacris,  Camellias,  and  you  will  soon  see  how  it  will 
result."  Now  if  my  theory  is  correct  that  the  plant  drains 
from  the  sides,  and  not  from  the  bottom  of  the  pot,  the 
variety  of  plant  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter,  and 
for  that  reason  it  makes  no  difference  what  is  the  size 
or  what  the  kind  of  plant  grown,  be  it  6  inches  or  6  feet, 
be  it  a  Scarlet  Geranium  or  an  Orchid.  But  though  I 
do  not  grow  them  now,  I  have  grown  Heaths,  Camellias, 
and  Azaleas,  without  crocking,  just  as  creditably  as  we 
grow  anything  else.  Heaths  particularly,  at  one  time, 
we  grew  largely,  supplying  them  to  the  trade  in  large 
quantities,  for  winter  flowers.  I  am  glad  to  know  that 
nearly  all  the  larger  florists'  establishments  thoughout  the 
country  have  abandoned  this  useless  practice.  I  do  not 
know  one  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  but  where  it  is 
ignored,  unless,  perhaps,  when  in  growing  large  plants 
of  Roses  or  Camellias  in  boxes  or  tubs ;  but,  in  such  cases, 
there  is  not  much  chance  for  admission  of  air  or  evapora- 
tion from  the  sides,  and,  to  compensate  for  this,  the 
box  or  tub  is  usually  filled  with  potsherds  or  charcoal  to 
one-third  its  depth.  And,  again,  perhaps  when  pots  too 
large  for  the  size  of  the  plant  are  used,  drainage  to  one- 
third  the  depth  is  employed  to  counteract  the  injury  that 
would  be  done  by  too  great  a  mass  of  soil  around  the 
roots.  That  plants  are  grown  as  well  in  our  florists' 
establishments  here  as  they  are  in  England,  there  is  but 
little  question.  If  the  specimens  of  plants  that  we  import 
annually  are  fair  examples,  we  think  far  better,  although 
I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  use  of  crocks  is  the  diffi- 
culty ;  but  in  these  large  European  establishments  the  pro- 
prietor is  apt,  in  many  cases,  to  get  above  his  business,  and 
leave  it  to  the  care  of  his  subordinates.  One  great  bar 
to  changes  is  the  easy  maxim,  that  we  are  all  apt  to 
hold,  "  Let  well  enough  alone."  This,  perhaps,  is  what 
makes  thousands  excuse  themselves  for  what  I  think  is  an 


48  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

utterly  useless  practice  in  this  case.  Throwing  a  handful 
of  potsherds  into  the  bottom  of  a  pot  will  certainly  not 
injure  the  growth  of  a  plant,  neither  would  a  gold  dollar, 
but  neither  would  do  any  good ;  the  dollar  would  have 
bought  something,  and  so  would  the  labor  thrown  away 
in  this  useless  operation. 

An  old  farmer,  in  planting  a  peach  orchard,  in  one  of 
the  inland  counties  of  this  State,  was  informed  by  some 
obliging  neighbor  that  it  would  greatly  improve  their 
growth  if  he  would  place  a  shovelfull  of  small  stones 
under  each  tree ;  as  chance  would  have  it,  the  soil  and 
climate  being  suitable,  the  orchard  was  a  success,  and  to 
this  day  no  man  is  supposed  to  know  any  thing  about 
planting  peach  trees  in  that  neighborhood  unless  he  knows 
sufficient  to  place  a  few  stones  under  the  roots  !  Most  of 
our  gardeners  would  laugh  at  these  credulous  farmers,  but 
to  my  notion,  it  is  not  one  whit  more  absurd  to  place  a 
shovelfull  of  stones  under  a  peach  tree  than  it  is  to  throw 
a  handfull  of  potsherds  into  the  bottom  of  a  flower-pot 
before  potting  the  plant. 

The  amateur,  in  potting  his  plants,  will  find  it  neces- 
•  sary  to  place  something  over  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of 
the  pot,  not  for  the  purpose  of  drainage,  but  to  prevent 
the  soil  from  shaking  out.  The  hole  may  be  covered 
with  a  bit  of  broken  pot,  an  oyster  shell,  chip,  or  what- 
ever is  at  hand. 


GARDEN  WORKMEN. 
In  my  long  experience  with  workmen  I  have  observed 
that,  other  things  being  equal,  the  man  who  could  move 
his  hands  quickest,  was  almost  certain  to  be  the  man  most 
successful  in  life.  Rapid  movement  of  the  hands  in  such 
light  operations  as  writing  or  type-setting  argue  quick 


EXPERT    GARDEN    WORKMEN.  49 

mental  decision,  and  if  such  a  mind  is  well-balanced,  its 
possessor  is  more  likely  to  distinguish  himself  than  he 
who  moves  more  sluggishly.  Now,  two-thirds  of  all  gar- 
den operations — particularly  those  of  flower-gardening — 
are  as  light  as  either  writing  or  type-setting,  and  for 
many  years  I  have  taken  great  pains  to  stimulate  my 
workmen  to  rapidity  of  movement  in  all  our  light  work, 
and  it  is  astonishing  what  the  gain  -in  labor  has  been  in 
this  particular.  For  example,  the  average  work  of  a  man 
planting  cabbage  or  lettuce  plants,  when  we  began  mar- 
ket-gardening, did  not  exceed  2,000  a  day;  now,  and  for 
many  years  past,  a  man,  with  a  boy  to  drop  the  plants, 
will  set  6,000  a  day,  and  one  of  my  old  foremen,  John 
Scarry,  now  gardener  to  Dr.  Thos.  Vail,  of  Troy,  N.  Y., 
has  repeatedly  planted  10,000  in  a  day.  In  the  lighter 
work  of  our  green-houses  rapid  movement  is  even  of 
more  importance,  and  the  rivalry  among  our  workmen  for 
distinction  in  this  matter  is  of  great  benefit  to  themselves 
as  well  as  to  us.  The  acknowledged  champion,  at  pres- 
ent, of  our  whole  force  of  forty  men  is  a  young  Irishman 
named  James  Markey.  Jim,  though  not  yet  25,  has  been 
with  me  a  dozen  years  or  more,  and  from  the  first  has 
distinguished  himself  for  doing  all  light  operations 
quicker  and  better  than  any  boy  of  his  years,  and  pro- 
bably to-day  can  make  more  cuttings,  or  pot  more  plants, 
in  the  same  space  of  time,  than  any  other  man  in  Amer- 
ica. It  is  very  good  average  work  for  one  man  to  pot 
off  in  21  |2-inch  pots  2,000  cuttings  in  ten  hours.  Jim 
potted  off  one  day  of  ten  hours,  this  spring,  10,000,  while 
his  average  work  of  this  kind  is  5,000  a  day.  Of  course, 
such  ability  commands  its  price,  and  Jim  is  paid  quite 
twice  that  of  most  of  his  fellows,  and  is  much  valued  by 
me  as  an  example  well  worthy  of  imitation. 


i's  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

CHAPTER  VIH 

COLD    FRAMES.-WINTER    PROTECTION. 

Many  of  the  plants  used  for  the  decoration  of  the  flower- 
borders  in  summer  may  be  kept  through  the  winter  in 
what  are  termed  cold-frames,  or  sunken  pits.  These  are 
formed  by  excavating  the  earth  about  2  feet  deep  and  of 
a  width  to  suit  the  usual  6-foot  sash,  and  of  such  length 
as  may  be  required.  The  sides  of  the  pit  are  boarded  up, 
on  the  front  or  south  side,  to  a  height  of  8  or  10  inches, 
and  at  the  back  or  north  side,  some  6  inches  higher,  to 
give  the  necessary  slope  to  carry  off  the  water  from  the 
sashes  and  to  better  catch  the  sun's  rays.  Thus  formed, 
the  frame  will  measure  about  3  feet  deep  from  the  sash  in 
front  and  about  3£  feet  at  the  back.  Or,  if  the  work  is 
desired  to  be  permanent,  the  sides  may  be  built  of  brick 
instead  of  boards. 

Above  all  other  considerations,  the  place  where  the  pit  is 
built  must  be  free  from  standing  water,  and  if  not  naturally 
dry,  must  be  drained  so  as  to  carry  off  the  water.  When- 
ever practicable,  the  situation  should  be  warm  and  well 
sheltered,  as  such  a  position  will  save  a  great  deal  in 
winter  covering.  In  such  a  pit  tender  Roses  can  be  kept 
in  the  best  possible  condition,  better,  in  our  opinion,  than 
in  any  green-house.  If  kept  in  pots,  (which  is  the  best 
way  to  keep  them)  the  pots  should  be  plunged  to  the  rim 
in  sawdust,  leaves,  tan  bark,  or  some  such  light  material. 
Besides  Roses,  the  plants  embraced  in  the  following  list 
may  be  wintered  over  with  safety,  provided  that  care  is 
taken  to  admit  light  and  air,  whenever  the  weather  will 
permit.  The  pits  must  be  thoroughly  covered  up  at  night 
with  mats  and  shutters;  this,  if  well  done,  will  keep 


COLD  FRAMES WINTER  PROTECTION.         51 

the  plants  from  freezing  injuriously  in  any  district  where 
the  thermometer  does  not  fall  more  than  15°  below  zero. 

Azaleas,  Pentstemons, 

Antirrhinums,  Verbenas, 

Carnations  (Monthly),     Stock  Gilliflowers. 

Camellias,  Wallflowers. 

Fuchsias,  Roses  of  all  kinds. 

Geraniums,  Pinks,  (Florists'.) 

Plants  to  be  kept  over  in  frames  should  be  potted  at 
least  a  month  previous  to  the  setting  in  of  cold  weather ; 
all  had  better  be  well  established  in  the  pots  before  the 
middle  of  November,  and  until  that  time  the  plants  should 
be  fully  exposed  to  the  light  and  air,  by  the  entire  removal 
of  the  sashes,  unless  on  unusually  harsh  and  cold  days. 
From  the  middle  of  November  to  the  middle  of  March  but 
little  watering  will  be  required.  In  cases  of  severe  snow- 
storms, the  pit  may  remain  covered  up,  if  the  weather  is 
cold,  for  a  week  at  a  time,  without  exposing  the  plants  to 
the  light,  and  Roses,  Camellias,  or  Azaleas,  in  a  dormant 
state,  may  remain  even  a  month ;  but,  as  before  said, 
whenever  practicable,  admit  light  and  air.  For  out-door 
protection  of  Roses,  see  chapter  devoted  to  them. 

To  amateurs  we  would  say  that  many  plants  may  be 
saved  in  a  dry,  cool  cellar  much  better  than  they  can  be 
kept  in  most  sitting-rooms.  The  plants  that  can  be  best 
kept  during  winter  in  the  cellar  are  Carnations,  Fuchsias, 
Geraniums,  Roses,  Lemon  Verbenas,  and  Dahlia  roots. 
If  the  plants  are  to  be  lifted  from  the  ground,  cut  away 
all  strong-growing  shoots ;  in  the  case  of  Geraniums  or 
Fuchsias,  cut  them  well  in,  and  plant  them  in  shallow 
(9-inch  deep)  boxes  of  soil,  keeping  them  exposed  to  the 
open  air  as  late  as  the  weather  will  permit.  This  can  best 
be  done  by  taking  them  into  some  shelter  at  night  and 
exposing  them  to  light  and  air  through  the  day ;  this  will 
harden  them  to  endure  their  winter  quarters  in  the  cellar. 
Once  placed  in  the  cellar,  if  cool  and  moist,  as  cellars 


02  PRACTICAL    FLOttlCULTURK. 

usually  are,  no  water  should  be  given  until  they  are  again 
moved  out  to  the  light  in  May.  Remember  that  thus  im- 
mersed in  the  dark  cellar  in  their  dormant  state,  water  or 
moisture  would  injure  them  beyond  recovery,  unless  they 
have  become  unusually  dry. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CONSTRUCTION    OF    HOT-BEDS. 

The  most  economical  way  of  making  hot-beds  is  to 
place  the  manure  in  pits  made  in  the  way  described  for 
Cold  Frames,  except  that  they  may  be  made  a  foot  or  so 
deeper,  so  as  to  admit  at  least  18  inches  of  manure. 
The  heating  material  for  hot-beds  is  usually  horse-manure, 
but  refuse  hops,  leaves  from  the  woods,  or  tan  bark,  will 
answer  nearly  as  well  when  one  is  more  readily  attainable 
than  another. 

Whatever  material  is  employed,  it  should  be  thrown  into 
a  heap  of  sufficient  size  to  generate  heat,  and  repeatedly 
turned  until  the  rank  heat  has  been  expelled,  which  will 
usually  be  done  by  turning  twice.  The  mass  will  be  in  the 
proper  condition  to  be  put  into  the  pit  in  eight  or  ten 
days  from  the  time  of  starting  with  the  raw  material.  In 
spreading  it  in  the  pit  it  should  be  firmly  trodden  down 
to  the  depth  of  18  inches,  so  that  the  heat  may  be  longer 
retained.  If  the  hot-bed  is  to  be  used  to  receive  plants 
in  pots,  a  covering  of  4  to  6  inches  of  sawdust,  in  which 
to  place  or  plunge  the  pots,  should  be  put  over  the 
heating  material.  If  the  bed  is  to  be  used  for  the  sowing 
of  annual  or  other  seeds,  a  covering  of  6  inches  of  light 
soil  should  be  put  over  the  manure.  Before  placing  plants 
or  sowing  seeds  in  the  hot-bed,  plunge  a  thermometer 
in  the  bed,  and  when  the  heat  begins  to  decline  from  100° 


CONSTRUCTION   OF   HOT-BEDS.  53 

then  operations  may  be  begun  with  safety.  But  for  what* 
ever  purpose  a  hot-bed  is  used,  in  all  such  latitudes  as 
New  York,  the  bed  should  never  be  made  before  the  first 
week  in  March  ;  great  risk  is  run  if  it  is  made  much  sooner 
with  but  little  advantage  in  earliness.  Greater  caution  is 
necessary  in  airing  than  with  the  cold  frame,  for  with 
the  hot-bed  the  heat  from  the  manure,  together  with  the 
sun's  rays,  will  often  run  the  temperature  in  an  hour  so 
high  as  to  destroy  its  whole  contents,  if  airing  at  tho 
proper  time  has  been  neglected.  Many  a  merchant  doing 
business  in  the  city  has  gone  home  in  the  evening  to  his 
country  residence  to  find  that  his  hot-bed,  that  had  been 
his  pride  in  the  morning,  had  become  a  scorched  brown 
mass  at  night  for  want  of  attention  to  the  safety-valve 
of  "  airing."  In  such  cases,  when  no  competent  person 
is  in  charge,  the  safest  way  is  to  tilt  the  sashes  a  few 
inches,  even  before  the  necessity  arises,  rather  than  run  the 
risk  of  the  sun  coming  out  strong  and  destroying  the 
whole.  In  a  southern  exposure,  in  a  sheltered  place,  there 
is  rarely  danger  in  admitting  air  in  most  days  in  March 
or  April  from  9  to  4  o'clock.  But,  of  course,  judgment 
must  be  used  in  extreme  cases.  The  greater  heat  in  the 
hot-bed  necessitates  watering  freely  whenever  the  surface 
of  the  soil  appears  dry,  which,  in  dry  weather,  if  the  heat 
is  strong,  will  usually  be  every  other  day. 


CHAPTER  X. 

GREEN-HOUSE    STRUCTURES. 

I  have  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  beginning  to  describe  our 
present  modes  of  constructing  green-houses,  Avell  knowing 
that  hundreds  of  my  readers  will  turn  with  interest  to 
this  page,  in  the  hope  that  they  may  be  enlightened  on  a 
subject  on  which  doubtless  many  of  them  have  seriously 


54  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

blundered.  I  have  no  reason  to  complain  of  success  in 
business,  but  I  feel  well  assured  that  for  the  first  ten 
years  of  my  time  many  thousands  of  dollars  were  sacri- 
ficed in  the  blunders  made  in  my  endeavor  to  get  on  the 
right  track. 

There  was  no  fixed  system ;  all  was  confusion,  hardly 
two  of  us  building  alike,  and,  in  my  humble  opinion,  most 
of  us  building  wrong. 

The  style  of  green-house  to  be  built  must  be  governed 
by  the  pui'pose  for  which  it  is  wanted.  If  for  the  growing 
of  a  general  assortment  of  green-house  or  bedding  plants, 
four  years'  working  of  those  on  the  ridge  and  furrow 
system,  on  the  extensive  scale  in  use  by  us,  makes  us  con- 
fident in  the  belief  that  that  system  is  all  we  have  previ- 
ously claimed  for  it,  as  being  the  most  economical  of 
space,  most  economical  of  heat,  and  most  economical  in 
cost  of  construction. 

Figure  12  represents  the  end  section  and  ground  plan 
of  the  style  of  house  referred  to,  which  may  be  used 
for  the  purpose  of  growing  flowers  for  winter — Roses, 
green-house,  or  bedding  plants,  or  anything  requiring 
protection  in  winter.  The  green-houses  represented  in 
this  plan  are  100  feet  in  length,  and  each  11  feet  wide 
inside.  The  heating  of  the  whole  (that  is,  the  three 
measuring  from  the  outside  walls  36x100  feet)  is  done  by 
one  of  Hitching's  Combination  Boilers  (C),  heating  about 
1200  feet  of  4-inch  pipe  (D).  The  glass  roof  (E)  is 
formed  of  portable  sashes,  each  6  feet  by  3  feet;  each 
alternate  sash  is  screwed  down,  the  others  being  movable, 
so  that  a  full  supply  of  air  can  be  given  when  necessary. 

The  movable  sash  is  elevated  by  an  iron  bar  15  inchea 
long,  attached  to  the  sash  by  a  staple ;  in  this  bar  three 
holes  are  punched,  at  distances  of  3  inches ;  by  means  of 
these  holes  the  bar  can  be  hooked  upon  an  iron  pin  placed 
in  the  ridge  pole,  and  thus  hold  the  sash  more  or  less 
open,  to  graduate  the  admission  of  air.  When  the  sash 


GREEN-HOUSE   STRUCTURES. 


55 


Fig.  12. — GREEN-HOUSE   HEATED  BY  HOT   WATER  PIPES. 


56  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

ig  shut  down,  the  bar  is  hooked  on  to  a  pin  that  secures  it 
ID  place,  so  that  the  sash  cannot  be  moved  by  wind.  I 
am  particular  to  describe  this  method  of  airing,  as  it  is,  as 
far  as  our  experience  has  gone,  the  best  method  we  have 
ever  seen  used.  The  rid^e-poles  are  cut  out  exactly  as  is 
shown  at  J,  and  the  sash  lays  on  the  shoulder,  braced  by 
the  angle  shown  in  the  cut.  The  interior  arrangements 
are  shown  by  the  end  section.  G  shows  the  bench,  or 
table,  as  it  is  completed.  The  space  beneath  the  bench, 
if  bottom  heat  is  required  for  propagating  or  other  pur- 
poses, should  be  boarded  up  below  the  bottom  of  the 
pipes,  the  lower  board  being  hinged,  so  that,  in  cold  nights, 
additional  heat  can  be  given  to  the  atmosphere  of  the 
house,  if  required.  But  for  the  general  uses  of  growing 
plants,  the  benches  must  be  left  open  below,  so  that  the 
heat  given  out  by  the  pipes  will  pass  freely  to  all  parts  of 
the  house.  If  one  house  is  wanted  at  a  higher  tempera- 
ture than  the  others,  it  will  be  necessary  to  board  up 
along  the  posts  from  the  ground  to  the  top  of  the  posts, 
and  by  wholly  or  partially  shutting  the  valves  in  the  pipes 
of  the  other  houses,  throw  a  greater  heat  into  the  one  in 
which  the  high  temperature  is  wanted.  The  walks 
through  the  house  (K)  are  2  feet  wide,  which  leaves  4^  feet 
on  each  side  for  bench  room.  These  widths  we  find  to 
be  the  most  convenient  for  the  working  of  the  plants ; 
if  narrower,  too  much  space  would  be  lost ;  if  wider,  the 
further  side  of  the  benches  could  not  be  reached  easily. 

The  width  of  walk,  however,  must  be  determined  by 
what  the  green-houses  are  designed  for:  if  for  workmen 
merely,  2  feet,  or  even  less  room,  will  do  for  the  walk ; 
but  if  visitors  are  to  be  accommodated,  it  should  be  at 
least  2£  feet  in  width. 

A  brick  shed  (A)  covers  the  boiler  pit  (F),  and  is 
attached  to  the  north  end  of  the  pits,  the  back  wall 
being  about  12  feet  high,  the  front  8  feet,  width  16  feet ; 
besides  breaking  off  the  north  wind  from  the  green-houses, 


GREEN-HOUSE    STRUCTURES. 


57 


— 

B 

B 

- 

K 

K 

K 

B 

c                                                                         c 

1 

A 

Fig.  13.— GBEEN-HOUSB  HEATED  BY  FLUES. 


58  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

we  find  this  shed  indispensable  as  a  potting  and  packing 
shed.  It  will  be  understood  that  these  green-houses  have 
their  ends  north  and  south ;  consequently  one  side  is  ex- 
posed to  the  east  in  the  morning,  the  other  to  the  west 
in  the  afternoon,  while  at  noonday  the  rays  of  the  sun 
strike  directly  upon  the  apex  of  the  roof.  There  is  nothing 
arbitrary  in  having  the  green-houses  end  north  and  south ; 
a  point  to  the  east  or  west  would  not  make  any  material 
difference,  but,  if  circumstances  will  admit,  we  prefer  them 
to  end  direct  north  and  south. 

At  present  prices,  built  in  a  plain,  substantial  manner, 
with  the  outer  walls  of  brick  or  stone,  and  heated  with 
hot  water,  they  will  cost  about  $10  per  running  foot,  or 
$3,000  for  the  three  connected ;  if  put  up  singly,  the  cost 
would  be  at  least  10  per  cent  more. 

The  smoke  flues,  as  shown  in  figure  13,  can  be  put  up 
at  much  less  cost — perhaps  $6  per  running  foot,  in  most 
places ;  but  when  the  heating  is  done  by  smoke-flues,  the 
houses  should  not  be,  on  an  average,  longer  than  50  feet, 
varying,  of  course,  with  the  locality ;  where  the  ther- 
mometer falls  10  or  15  degrees  below  zero,  not  more  than 
40  feet  should  be  risked;  while  where  the  thermometer 
marks  its  lowest  point  at  the  same  figures  above  zero,  the 
houses  may  be  extended  to  70  feet. 

It  will  be  seen  by  this  sketch  that  two  fires  only  are  used 
for  the  three  green-houses ;  the  flues  from  each,  passing 
under  the  benches  on  the  outside  houses,  are  carried  along 
the  end  and  returned  through  the  middle  house. 

This  equalizes  the  temperature  in  all  three,  for,  although 
the  outside  houses  get  only  one  run  of  flues  each,  these  be- 
ing nearest  to  the  furnace  give  out  just  about  the  same 
amount  of  heat  to  the  outside  houses  as  the  two  returning 
flues  give  out  in  the  middle  one,  as  these,  being  at  a  greater 
distance  from  the  fire,  contain  much  less  heat.  This  style 
of  ridge  and  furrow  building  of  green-houses  is  especially 
adapted  for  florists;  hundreds  of  establishments  have 


GREEN-HOUSE   STRUCTURES. 


59 


31  ftT~t 


13=1 


I   LH 


Fig.  14.— PLAN  OF  HOUSE  HEATED  BT  BOTH  FLUE  AND  PIPES. 


00 


PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 


been  erected  on  this  plan  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and 
I  have  been  amply  repaid  by  receiving  scores  of  letters  of 
acknowledgment  from  those  who  have  adopted  it,  and 
whose  attention  was  first  called  to  the  plan  by  some  of 
the  papers  written  by  me  on  the  subject  four  years  ago. 

Another  plan  in  use  is  shown  by  figure  14,  combining 
the  flue  and  boiler,  from  the  same  furnace.  This  is  the 
most  economical  plan  in  which  hot  water  can  be  used. 
As  shown  in  the  engraving,  there  are  two  houses  joined 
together,  each  11  feet  wide  by  70  feet  in  length.  For 


Fig.  15.— END  VIEW  OF  FIGURE  14. 


colder  sections  of  the  country  than  the  vicinity  of  New 
York,  from  50  to  60  feet  in  length  would  probably  be  suf- 
ficient, but  much  depends  on  exposure,  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  building  is  constructed.  One  of  the  houses  is 
heated  by  the  flue,  F;  the  other  by  the  pipes,  P.  The 
boiler,  5,  shown  in  the  end  view  of  the  same  house, 
figure  15,  is  what  is  termed  a  "  saddle  "  boiler,  which  an- 
swers at  the  same  time  the  double  purpose  of  an  arch  for 
the  furnace  and  a  boiler.  The  fire  in  this  furnace  does 
nearly  the  same  amount  of  heating  as  two  such  fires,  if 
used  in  heating  by  flues  only.  Thus,  by  this  combination 
of  flue  and  pipes,  the  construction  of  the  heating  arrange- 
ments costs  about  50  per  cent  less  than  if  the  house  were 
heated  entirely  by  hot  water.  The  probable  cost  of  two 


GREEN-HOUSE   STRUCTURES. 


61 


houses  of  this  kind,  each  70x11  feet,  so  heated,  and  otherwise 
complete,  would  be  about  $1200.  In  erecting  all  houses  on 
the  ridge  and  furrow  plan,  the  site  should,  whenever  prac- 
ticable, be  such  as  will  admit  of  extension  by  future  erec- 
tions, to  meet  the  increase  of  business.  A  good  plan  in 
beginning  is  to  erect  three  houses,  as  shown  in  fig.  13, 


Fig.  16.— END  VIEW   OF  FORCING  HOUSE. 

page  57,  50  feet  in  length,  so  situated,  that  as  business  in- 
creases, and  with  more  means  in  hand,  the  south  ends  can 
be  taken  out,  the  walls  extended  25  or  50  feet  further,  the 
Hues  thrown  out,  and  the  heating  done  by  hot  Avater.  For, 
v/henever  it  can  be  afforded,  the  heating  by  hot  water 
will  be  found  to  be  much  the  best ;  not  that  there  is  any 
particular  saving  in  fuel  over  heating  by  flues,  for  in  this 
matter  there  is  but  little  to  choose,  but  it  is  more  durable, 
pntirely  free  from  danger  from  fire,  or  the  escaping  of 


62  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

gases,  so  troublesome  with  flues ;  besides,  it  is  an  immense 
saving  of  labor,  more  particularly  if  the  green-houses  are 
extensive.  In  our  establishment,  covering  over  an  acre 
with  glass,  but  nine  boilers  are  used,  involving  the  work 
of  only  nine  fires.  If  we  heated  by  flues,  not  less  than 
forty  fires  would  be  necessary,  and  at  least  three  times 
more  labor  would  be  required. 

Fig.  16  is  the  end  view  and  fig.  17  the  ground  plan  of  a 
Hot-house,  or  Forcing  House,  erected  by  us  last  season, 
mainly  for  the  purpose  of  forcing  flowers  in  winter.  This 
house  has  given  us  the  highest  satisfaction,  and  for  the  pur- 
pose of  a  conservatory  for  winter  blooming  plants,  we  be- 
lieve it  will  be  found  to  be  most  suitable.  So  satisfied  were 
we  of  the  practicability  of  this  style  of  house  for  this  pur- 
pose, that  we  erected  it  of  mammoth  proportions,  300  feet 
in  length  by  20  wide  inside.  It  will  be  understood  by  the 
sketch,  that  the  roof  is  stationary,  the  whole  slope  front- 
ing south,  15  feet  hi  length,  being  one  unbroken  sheet  of 
glass.  The  back  slope  to  the  north,  8  feet  in  length,  is 
also  fixed,  but  hi  that  there  are  movable  sashes  3  feet 
square  every  9  feet,  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation,  or  about 
one-sixth  of  the  whole  roof  facing  north.  The  movable 
sashes  are  hinged  at  the  top,  and  are  lifted  by  an  iron 
bar  fixed  to  the  lower  edge,  in  which  holes  are  punched 
every  4  inches,  so  that  the  ventilation  may  be  graduated 
to  suit  the  weather.  This  amount  of  space  for  ventilation 
on  the  roof  would  be  entirely  inadequate  alone,  and  it  is 
one  of  the  most  common  errors  in  building  fixed  roof 
green-houses  or  graperies,  to  have  insufficient  means  for 
the  escape  of  the  excessive  heat  generated  by  the  sun's 
rays  in  May  or  June. 

But  this  difficulty  is  easily  and  cheaply  overcome  by 
admitting  air  from  sliding  shutters  made  in  the  front  wall. 
The  size  and  width  apart  of  these  must  depend  upon  the 
dimensions  of  the  green-house.  In  the  house  above  re- 
ferred to,  we  have  them  made  18x24  inches,  placed  in  the 


GREEN -HOUSE   STRUCTURES. 


63 


Fig.  17.— GROUND  PLAS  OF  FORCING  HOUSE. 


64  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

front  wall  9  feet  apart.  The  proper  position  of  these 
sliding  shutters  is  of  importance.  It  has  long  been  a 
common  practice  to  ventilate  by  front  sashes,  both  in 
graperies  and  plant  houses  which  opened  directly  on  the 
plants.  The  consequence  is,  that  in  cold  days,  while  the 
sun  is  shining,  the  house  gets  heated  up,  but  the  lower 
sashes  cannot  be  opened,  for  the  outside  air  is  often  so 
cold  that  it  would  be  likely  to  chill  or  freeze  the  plants. 
But  by  placing  the  sliding  ventilators  on  the  front  or 
south  wall,  at  such  a  height  that  they  will  be  below  the 
front  bench,  but  above  the  flue  or  pipes,  the  air  thus  ad- 
mitted to  cool  down  the  house  is  modified  in  its  passage 
across  the  pipes  or  flue,  so  that  the  temperature  of  the 
house  is  lowered  without  chilling  the  plants. 

The  sliding  ventilators  run  upon  rollers,  and  by  at- 
taching a  continuous  rod  to  each,  25  or  30  of  them  can  be 
moved  from  one  end  by  a  slight 
pull,  thus  obviating  the  necessity 
of  getting  under  the  benches  to 
open  each  one  separately.  The 
front  or  south  wall  of  the  building 
referred  to  is  built  of  brick-work  8 
inches  thick.  But  the  back  or 
north  wall  is  built  hollow,  10  rig.  18.— HOLLOW 
inches  thick;  that  is,  of  two  WALL- 

bricks  placed  flat,  with  an  air  space  of  2  inches,  "  tied  in  " 
by  headers  of  cast-iron,  like  that  shown  in  figure  18,  placed 
at  intervals  of  2  feet  apart,  both  in  the  height  and  in  the 
length  of  the  wall.  A  10-inch  hollow  wall  built  in  this 
way  costs  about  the  same  as  a  12-inch  solid  wall,  but  is 
greatly  better  in  all  respects.  The  air  space,  of  course, 
acting  as  a  non-conductor,  keeps  the  house  much  warmer 
than  a  solid  wall  would ;  and  besides,  a  wall  like  this  is 
much  more  durable  for  such  a  purpose.  The  experience 
of  most  of  us  who  have  built  solid  8-inch  brick  walls  for 
green-houses  is,  that  on  the  north  or  west  side  they  stand 


GREEX-HOUSE    STKUCTUEES. 


CI 


badly,  owing  to  the  freezing  and  thawing  caused  by  the 
great  difference  between  the  temperature  of  the  green-house 
and  tli at  of  the^pen  air  in  winter.  The  difficulty  experi- 
enced in  this  way  hns  forced  us  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is 
better  to  construct  the  walls  of  posts  and  boards,  lining 
\vith  brick  inside,  rather  than  to  use  the  ordinary  solid  8- 
inch  brick  wall ;  but  the  best  wall  for  a  north  or  western 
exposure,  when  the  expense  can  be  afforded,  is  unquestion- 
ably the  10-inch  hollow  wall. 

Figure  19  will  show  the  inside  arrangement  of  the 
benches,  each  being  exactly  4  feet  in  width,  with  a  2- foot 
space  for  walks.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  back  walk  is 


Fig.  19.— INTERIOR  OF  FORCING   HOUSE. 

elevated,  so  that  the  plants  on  the  benches  can  be  conven- 
iently reached,  to  arrange  plants,  water,  etc.  If  for  private 
use,  or  for  visitors,  the  walks  should  be  widened  at  least 
6  inches.  The  water  is  supplied  by  tanks  under  the  mid- 
dle bench,  8  feet  wide  by  4  deep,  and  half  as  long  as 
the  house.  These  are  arranged  in  sections,  and  at  con- 
venient distances  are  placed  two  of  West's  Force  Pumps, 
Fig.  11,  to  which  a  length  of"  125  feet  of  l|-inch  hose  is 
attached.  One  man  or  two  boys  work  the  pump,  while 
another  hand  regulates  the  water  over  the  plants  by  the 
sprinkler,  so  that  the  plants  contained  in  this  building, 


66  PRACTICAL   FLORIcrLTUr.E. 

measuring  about  7,000  square  feet  of  glass,  are  copiously 
drenched  with  water  in  one  hour.  If  watered  in  the  usual 
way  by  watering-pots,  the  same  number  of  hands  would 
not  do  the  work  as  well  in  six  hours. 

Of  all  labor-saving  apparatuses  yet  introduced  into  our 
gardens,  this  force  pump  is  the  most  valued. 

As  a  green-house  of  this  description  is  built  for  the  pur- 
pose of  growing  winter  flowers,  ample  provision  is  made 
for  heating ;  eight  4-inch  pipes  run  its  entire  length,  which 
is  about  one  square  foot  of  heating  surface  to  three  square 
feet  of  glass,  or,  in  other  words,  one  foot  of  4-inch  pipe  to 
three  square  feet  of  glass.  This  is  the  necessary  quantity 
when  a  night  temperature  of  60  degrees  is  required  in  sec- 
tions where  the  thermometer  runs  down  to  10°  or  15°  be- 
low zero.  "When  a  temperature  of  40°  or  45°  only  is 
necessary  at  night,  one  foot  of  heating  surface  to  four  feet 
of  glass  is  the  rule.  But,  of  course,  much  depends  on  ex- 
posure, style  of  green-house,  etc.,  so  that  no  infallible 
rule  can  be  applied. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

GBEEN-HOUSES  ATTACHED  TO  DWELLINGS. 


Every  now  and  then  the  inquiry  is  made  :  "  How  can  I 
best  attach  a  green-house  to  my  dwelling?"  Nothing  is 
more  simple,  as  far  as  the  mere  shell  of  the  green-house  is 
concerned,  but  the  difficulty  is  to  heat  it.  Many  may  not 
know  that  a  screen-house,  even  without  any  artificial 
means  of  heating,  can  be  made  very  useful  in  the  early 
spring  months  in  this  latitude,  and  in  those  Southern 
States  where  the  thermometer  does  not  fall  lower  than  20° 
or  25°.  It  may  be  used  all  through  the  winter. 


GREENHOUSES    ATTACHED    TO    DWELLINGS.  67 

In  the  diagram  of  an  end  section  of  a  simple  house, 
figure  20,  the  sashes  (JB  and  O)  are  3  feet  wide  by  6 
long  ;  the  top  one  is  so  placed  that  it  can  be  let  down 
over  the  lower  one  by  weights  and  pulleys,  and  thus  secure 
ventilation.  The  front  wall  and  ends  are  best  built  by 
using  4  x  6-inch  locust  or  cedar  posts.  Upon  the  out- 
side of  the  posts  rough  planking  is  nailed ;  against  that  a 


Fig.  20. — SECTION  OP  A  CHEAP  GREENHOUSE. 

layer  of  tarred  paper ;  and  against  the  tarred  paper  the 
weather  boarding  is  nailed,  either  overlapping  or  tongued 
and  grooved,  as  may  be  desired.  The  outer  walls  of  all 
green-houses  built  of  wood  are  now  thus  made  with  us, 
and  it  is  found  to  be  far  preferable  to  the  old  and  objec- 
tionable mode  of  filling  in  between  the  boards  with  saw- 
dust or  shavings. 

The  tarred  paper  is  a  good  non-conductor,  and  we  find 
walls  so  constructed  are  equally  as  good  a  protection 
against  frost  as  a  nine-inch  brick  wall,  which  would  cost 


68  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

twice  as  much.  A  green-house  of  this  kind,  25  feet  long 
by  11  wide,  should  not  cost  more  than  $100  complete, 
if  plainly  built ;  that  is,  without  heating.  Heating  is  a 
difficult  matter  in  green-houses  so  attached  to  dwellings, 
unless  in  casos  where  there  is  a  surplus  heat  at  night  from 
furnaces  or  stoves  in  the  rooms  adjoining.  In  such  cases, 
the  windows  or  doors,  if  low  enough,  could  be  opened, 
and  enough  heat  be  supplied  from  the  rooms  of  the  dwell- 
ing ;  or,  better  yet,  if  it  were  so  arranged  that  a  register 
from  the  furnace  opened  into  the  floor  of  the  green-house. 
But  when  this  supply  of  artificial  heat  can  not  l>e  ob- 
tained, the  green-house  as  it  is  will  be  sufficient  to  protect 
plants  against  any  frost  that  is  likely  to  occur  in  this  lati- 
tude after  April  1st,  particularly  if  light  wooden  shutters 
are  put  over  the  lower  tier  of  sashes.  I  have  recom- 
mended this  style  of  green-house  to  many  dealers  and 
retail  florists  in  the  different  States.  Those  who  are 
simply  dealers  in  plants  experience  great  difficulty  and 
lo.-s  in  keeping  what  they  purchase  for  sale  in  stores  or 
dwelling-rooms;  for  if  not  sold  at  once,  they  quickly  get 
injured.  But  this  cheap  and  simple  style  of  green-house 
not  only  by  its  appearance  advertises  their  business  as 
dealers  in  flowers,  but  it  enables  them  to  buy  from  the 
wholesale  florists  at  an  earlier  season.  Besides  this,  they 
can  purchase  in  March  and  April  at  less  than  half  what 
the  same  plants  would  cost  in  May,  and  it  gives  them 
time  to  repot  into  larger  pots.  Placing  them  in  the 
green-house  where  they  have  sufficient  space  to  grow,  the 
plants  that  are  bought  for  $12  per  100  in  March,  with  but 
little  trouble  in  potting,  airing,  and  watering,  will  freely 
retail  for  50  cents  each  in  May.  These  green-houses  are 
also  economical  and  useful  to  the  amateur  who  purchases 
for  his  flower-garden  in  spring.  Bedding-plants,  as  they 
are  called,  can  not  be  safely  planted  out  in  the  Northern 
States  until  the  middle  of  May,  and  if  the  amateur  buys 
from  the  florist  then,  he  generally  pays  quite  double  the 


GREENHOUSES    ATTACHED    TO    DWKLLIXGS.  69 

price  that  he  could  purchase  the  same  plants  for  in  March 
or  April,  for  the  florist  always  wants  room  in  his  green- 
houses, and  can  better  afford  to  sell  a  dozen  Geraniums 
in  March  for  $1.50  than  for  S3  in  May.  Besides,  the 
plants  if  purchased  in  March,  and  shifted  into  larger  pots, 
and  allowed  plenty  of  room  to  grow,  would  be  far  better 
than  could  be  purchased  at  any  price  from  the  over- 
crowded tables  of  the  florists  in  May.  The  care  of  such 
plants  in  the  green-house  is  very  simple.  The  board 
benches  or  tables  .Z*7and  Gr  should  be  covered  with  two 
inches  of  sand,  upon  which  to  stand  the  pots;  place  them 
so  far  apart  that  the  leaves  will  not  touch;  water  thor- 
oughly whenever  the  surface  of  the  soil  in  the  pot  ap- 
pears dry,  which  will  be  every  day  in  hot  weather. 
Ventilate  by  letting  down  the  sashes,  more  or  less,  as  the 
day  is  warm  or  cold,  whenever  the  thermometer  indicates 
75°  or  80°;  in  other  words,  keep  the  temperature  in  the 
day-time  as  near  as  may  be  to  60°  or  65°,  as  marked  by  a 
thermometer  placed  in  the  green-house  where  the  sun  will 
not  strike  it.  Burn  half  a  pound  of  damp  tobacco  stems 
on  the  floor  of  the  green-house  twice  a  week,  to  destroy 
the  aphis.  One  dealer  in  Maine  informed  me  that  from  a 
green-house  so  constructed,  30  feet  long  by  11  feet  wide, 
placed  against  the  south  side  of  a  high  board  fence,  he 
sold  last  spring,  in  six  weeks,  sufficient  bedding-plants 
that  he  had  purchased,  and  vegetable  plants  that  he  had 
raised  from  seed,  to  afford  him  a  profit  of  $200,  or  nearly 
double  the  cost  of  his  green-house. 

These  green-houses  can  also  be  used  for  all  the  purposes 
of  a  hot-bed,  thus:  Soil  placed  to  the  thickness  of  four 
inches  on  the  benches  will  grow  fine  plants  of  all  varieties 
of  vegetables  if  the  proper  time  in  sowing  the  different 
kinds  is  attended  to — presuming  that  the  green-house  has 
no  artificial  heat  other  than  that  produced  by  the  sun's 
rays  which  pass  through  the  glass.  In  this  latitude,  cab- 
bage, cauliflower,  and  lettuce  had  better  be  sown  about 


70  PRACTICAL    FLOUICULTUKE. 

the  15th  of  March.  By  attention  to  ventilating  and  water- 
ing, fine  plants  may  be  had  in  five  or  six  weeks  from  time 
of  sowing,  which  will  bring  them  just  into  the  proper 
season  for  planting  in  open  ground.  Tomatoes,  pepper,  and 
egg-plant,  and  the  tenderer  kinds  of  flower  seeds,  should 
not  be  sown  much  sooner  than  the  end  of  April.  True, 
they  would  not  be  as  early  as  if  sown  a  month  sooner  in  a 
hot-bed,  and  replanted  into  the  green-house  bench  in  May. 
But  if  no  hot-bed  is  at  hand,  the  protection  of  the  green- 
house over  these  tender  plants  in  May  will  give  satisfac- 
tory results  if  earliness  is  not  particularly  wanted. 

I  have  so  many  inquiries  about  the  heating  and  general 
construction  of  cheap  green-houses  that  I  am  compelled  to 
give  instructions  which  are  known  now  to  nearly  every 
one  in  and  around  our  large  cities.  Yet,  simple  though 
the  matter  may  be  to  us  who  see  so  much  of  it,  it  is  evi- 
dently perplexing  enough,  when  they  come  to  construct, 
for  those  who  have  nothing  to  copy  from.  Those  of  us 
who  write  on  such  subjects  too  often  take  for  granted 
that  those  for  whom  we  write  know  something  about  the 
matter,  when  for  the  most  part  they  really  know  nothing. 

The  cheapest  kind  of  construction  is  the  lean-to  just 
described,  that  is,  where  there  is  anything  to  lean  it 
against,  such  as  the  gable  of  house  or  barn.  But  if  the 
green-house  has  to  be  constructed  entirely  new,  I  think  the 
span-roof  is  best — see  end-section  fig.  13,  p.  57.  The  walls 
are  four  feet  high,  formed  of  locust  or  cedar  posts,  and 
made  with  tarred  paper  between  the  boarding  and  weath- 
er-boarding as  described  on  page  67.  This  makes  really  a 
better  wall  for  green-house  purposes  than  an  8-inch  one  of 
brick,  as  we  find  that  the  extremes  of  temperature  of  the 
green-house — inside  at  50°,  and  perhaps  10°  below  zero  out- 
side— very  soon  destroy  an  8-inch  solid  brick  wall,  particu- 
larly if  exposed  to  the  north  or  west.  A  wall  of  wood  con- 
structed as  above  will  last  for  twenty  years,  and  be  as 
good  a  protection  as  one  of  8-inch  brick.  So  much  for 


MODES    OF    HEATING.  71 

the  construction  of  the  frame.  The  roof  is  formed  by  the 
ordinary  sashes,  six  feet  in  length  by  three  feet  in  width, 
which  can  be  bought  ready  made,  or  easily  be  made  by  a 
carpenter  or  any  one  handy  with  tools. 

Such  a  house,  if  cheapness  is  an  object,  should  be  heated 
with  a  flue.  It  should  not  be  more  than  60  and  not  less 
than  30  feet  in  length ;  if  more,  the  flue  would  not  heat 
it  enough,  and  if  less  it  would  be  likely  to  get  too  much 
heat.  About  50  feet  by  11  is  we  think  the  best  size  of  a 
green-house  to  heat  with  a  flue.  The  flue  should  run  all 
around  the  house — that  is,  it  should  start  along  under  one 
bench,  cross  the  end,  and  return  under  the  other  bench  to 
the  end  where  it  begins,  making  the  length  of  flue  in  a 
green-house  of  50  feet  about  110  feet  long.  It  should  have 
a  "rise  "  in  this  length  from  the  furnace  to  the  chimney  of 
at  least  18  inches,  to  secure  a  free  draft.  For  the  first  25 
feet  of  flue  nearest  the  furnace  it  should  be  of  brick,  with 
an  air-space  inside  of  about  7  by  7  inches.  From  this 
point  cement  drain-pipe,  7  or  8  inches  diameter,  may  be 
used.  The  drain-pipe  is  now  almost  exclusively  employed 
here  wherever  flues  are  used;  it  is  both  cheaper  and 
radiates  more  rapidly  than  brick.  The  cost  of  such  a 
green-house,  complete,  in  this  section,  is  about  $6  per  run- 
ning foot — that  is,  one  50  feet  long  by  11  feet  wide  costs 
about  $300  complete. 


CHAPTER    XH. 

MODES     OF     HEATING. 

Although  I  have  alluded  to  the  different  modes  of  heat- 
ing elsewhere,  the  matter  is  one  of  so  much  importance, 
that  I  will  again  refer  to  it  more  directly. 

Where  but  one  building  is  erected,  with  not  more  than 
1,000  square  feet  of  glass  surface,  or  where  the  beginner  is 
limited  in  means  and  must  practice  economy,  a  smoke-flue 


72  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

may  be  used  to  a  very  good  purpose.  Any  mason  will  be 
able  to  build  a  smoke  flue,  by  having  the  following  instruc- 
tions. Let  the  bars  of  the  grate  be  from  20  to  30  inches  in 
length,  making  a  width  of  grate  from  10  to  15  inches,  accord- 
ing to  the  size  of  the  house  to  be  heated  ;  say  the  smallest 
size  for  a  surface  of  glass  of  300  feet,  the  latter  for  600. 
Where  the  furnace  pit  can  be  drained,  if  there  is  danger 
of  water  standing  in  winter,  it  is  always  best  to  place  the 
furnace  so  deep  that  the  furnace  bars  will  be  say  3  feet 
from  the  top  of  the  flue  where  it  first  starts  along  the 
house ;  at  all  events,  the  bars  should  never  be  less  than  one 
foot  below  the  bottom  of  the  flue.  After  setting  the  grate 
bars  in  the  usual  way,  by  resting  them  on  an  iron  plate  let 
into  the  brick-work  at  front  and  back,  the  sides  of  the  fur- 
nace should  be  built  with  fire  brick  and  fire  clay,  (if  at  all 
procurable),  to  the  height  of  10  or  15  inches,  according  to 
size.  From  that  point  an  arch  is  turned  over  to  cover  the 
furnace,  the  "  neck  "  of  the  furnace  rising  at  a  sharp  angle 
for  about  2  feet,  until  it  runs  into  the  flue.  The  flue  should 
be  raised  from  the  ground  by  means  of  bricks,  either  one 
upon  edge  or  two  laid  flatwise.  This  costs  perhaps  one-third 
more  in  building,  but  it  exposes  a  greater  heating  surface, 
besides  keeping  the  flue  always  dry,  and  permitting  it  to 
"  draw  "  better  at  all  times.  The  cheapest  and  simplest  form 
of  flue  is  made  as  follows :  After  the  bottom  is  formed,  the 
flue  is  built  up  by  placing  two  bricks  on  edge,  the  top  being 
covered  by  a  brick  laid  flat.  This  may  be  varied,  how- 
ever, for  larger  houses,  by  placing  3  bricks  on  edge  and 
covering  by  tiles.  The  larger  the  furnace,  of  course  the 
greater  the  necessity  for  a  larger  flue.  A  flue  had  better 
never  exceed  120  feet  in  length,  and  this  length  should  be 
secured  by  running  the  flue  along  one  side  of  the  housi , 
crossing  the  end,  and  returning  along  the  other  side  to 
the  place  of  beginning,  where  it  connects  with  the  chim- 
ney. If  the  flue  can  have  a  gradual  rise  of  1£  or  2  feet  ID 
its  entire  length,  so  much  the  better.  Whenever  it  is  made 


MODES    OF    HEATING. 

to  return,  a  greater  amount  of  heat  will  be  got  from  the 
same  quantity  of  coal,  than  if  it  merely  ran  straight  along 
one  side,  and  turned  round  the  end  to  connect  with  the 
chimney. 

Too  great  caution  cannot  be  used  in  keeping  wood- 
work away  from  the  flue  and  chimney,  at  the  furnace 
end ;  and  for  15  feet  of  the  hot  end  of  the  flue,  wood 
should  never  be  placed  nearer  than  one  foot.  Do  not 
listen  to  what  your  builders  may  say,  as  few  of  them  have 
had  experience  in  such  matters,  and  whatever  they  may 
pretend,  not  one  in  a  dozen  knows  any  thing  more 
about  what  is  dangerous  from  fire  than  you  do  your- 
self. On  one  occasion  I  had  in  use  two  houses  heated 
with  flues  each  about  100  feet  in  length.  The  chimneys 
had  been  made  of  wood,  and  they  had  been  safely  used  for 
three  winters,  but  on  the  occasion  of  a  severe  storm  in 
winter,  when  our  fires  were  going  at  full  blast,  both  of 
them  took  fire  within  an  hour  of  each  other,  though  fully 
100  feet  from  the  furnace.  Fortunately  the  chimneys  had 
been  attached  to  the  outside  of  the  house,  and  were 
knocked  off  without  material  injury  being  done.  On 
another  occasion,  a  house  containing  upwards  of  10,000 
plants  took  fire  by  a  workman  placing  kindling  wood  on 
the  flue  near  the  furnace.  The  result  was  great  injury  to 
the  green-house,  and  total  destruction  of  its  contents.  I 
mention  these  cases,  to  show  the  necessity  of  the  utmost 
caution.  Every  winter  there  are  hundreds  of  fires  origin- 
ating in  green-houses  by  the  woodwork  taking  fire  from 
flues. 

In  this  particular,  if  in  no  other,  the  heating  of  green- 
houses by  hot  water  has  an  immense  advantage  over  flues, 
for  with  this  there  is  danger  neither  from  fire,  smoke,  nor 
the  gases  that  often  escape  from  badly  built  flues.  Still, 
in  some  particulars  I  do  not  believe  in  the  advantages 
claimed  for  hot  water  heating  by  its  advocates.  I  have 
never  yet  seen  a  boiler  able  to  heat  a  given  surface  of  glass 


7-i  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

with  less  fuel  than  would  be  used  by  flues.  Nor  is  the 
heat  given  out  by  iron  pipes,  filled  with  heated  water,  any 
less  dry  than  that  given  out  by  a  flue  which  has  been  heat- 
ed to  the  same  temperature  as  the  water.  The  advantage 
in  favor  of  the  water  is,  however,  that  its  temperature  is 
nearly  the  same  at  one  end  of  a  house  as  at  the  other,  while 
with  the  flue  the  furnace  end  may  be  heated  to  a  tempera- 
ture of  300°,  but  where  it  enters  the  chimney,  it  may  not 
be  more  than  100°;  hence  at  the  furnace  end  we  get  a  dry 
heat,  simply  for  the  reason  that  our  heating  medium  (the 
bricks)  is  unavoidably  heated  to  too  high  a  temperature, 
and  to  counteract  the  di'yness  occasioned  thereby,  pans  of 
water  should  be  placed  upon  the  flue  while  firing  hard. 

The  saddle  boiler  is  the  simplest  form  of  boiler,  and  may 
be  used  in  connection  with  a  flue,  as  shown  in  figure  15, 
on  page  60. 

The  great  point  to  be  aimed  at  in  the  construction  of 
a  boiler,  is  to  get  the  greatest  amount  of  heating  surface, 
directly  exposed  to  and  near  to  a  given  grate  surface. 
Scores  of  boilers  are  in  use,  all  claimed  by  their  respect- 
ive makers  to  be  nearest  to  this  condition,  yet  many  of 
them  are  comparatively  worthless,  as  our  experience  has 
rather  expensively  taught  us,  as  we  have  thrown  out  two 
of  them  as  useless,  at  great  trouble  and  expense.  Without 
desiring  to  show  a  preference  to  any  particular  maker,  we 
can  only  say  that  an  investigation  of  the  subject  has  led 
us  to  use,  as  the  most  effective,  one  of  recent  introduction, 
known  as  "Hitching's  Corrugated,"  figure  21.  We  have 
now  ten  of  them  in  use,  which  together  heat  15,000  feet  of 
4-inch  pipe,  and  heat  a  glass  surface  of  35,000  square  feet, 
to  60  degrees  in  the  coldest  weather.  It  will  be  seen  by 
the  engraving  that  the  portion  exposed  to  the  fire  is  rib- 
bed or  corrugated,  so  as  to  expose  a  larger  surface  than 
if  plain.  This  part  of  the  boiler  differs  but  little  from  the 
ordinary  saddle  boiler,  but,  as  the  figure  shows,  the  heat 
passes  around  and  over  the  boiler  to  a  smoke  pipe  in 


MODES    OF    HEATING. 


75 


,— Longitudinal  Section  of  Boiler. 

Fig.  21. — HITCHINGS   &  CO.'S  PATENT  BOILER. 


76  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

front.  This  heat,  after  it  leaves  the  direct  action  of  the 
fire,  when  passing  again  to  the  front  of  the  boiler,  is  called 
"  secondary,"  and  though  its  power  is  comparatively 
slight  compared  with  the  direct  heat  from  the  fuel  to  the 
inner  surface,  yet  it  otherwise  indirectly  benefits,  by  check- 
ing the  rapid  escape  of  heat  out  at  the  chimney,  whicli 
would  be  the  case  to  a  great  extent  if  this  back  draft  was 
not  used.  We  believe  that  by  using  this  second  heating 
surface,  a  saving  of  one-third  in  fuel  is  made.  At  present 
prices,  a  boiler  and  pipes  to  heat  1,000  square  feet  of  glass 
by  hot  water  will  cost  in  this  district  about  $500.  Brick 
flues,  to  heat  the  same  area,  would  cost  about  $100. 

Heating  by  tanks  of  hot  water  was  much  in  use  a  few 
years  ago,  when  the  grape  vine  fever  was  at  its  height, 
and  is  still  used  by  some  for  propagating  purposes ; 
but  our  experience,  as  well  as  that  of  many  others  who 
have  had  them  in  extensive  use,  is  that  they  are  an  un- 
profitable means  of  heating.  Made  in  the  usual  way,  of 
wood,  we  have  never  known  them  to  be  in  use  over  two 
winters  without  seriously  leaking.  If  made  by  lining 
with  zinc,  or  by  having  them  made  of  cast-iron,  they  then 
cost  as  much  as  the  regular  4-inch  pipe,  and  are  not  so 
durable,  and  for  the  heating  for  any  purpose  they  have  no 
advantage  in  any  respect  over  them  ;  four  years  ago  I 
threw  out  over  2,000  square  feet  of  wooden  tanking,  that 
had  leaked  so  as  to  become  unserviceable  in  three  years, 
and  replaced  it  by  4-inch  pipe.  Almost  all  who  have  used 
them  have  had  the  same  experience. 


BASE-BtfRXING    WATER-HEATER. 


77 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

BASE-BURNING    WATER-HEATER. 

For  many  years  a  great  want  has  been  felt  for  a  better 
means  of  heating  green-houses,  or  rather  conservatories, 
attached  to  dwellings.  The  space  to  be  heated  is  usually 


Fig.  2.2.  —  BASE -BURNER.  Fig.  23. — SECTION. 

so  small,  that  the  ordinary  hot-water  boilers  in  use  for 
large  operations  have  been  found  by  amateurs  too  compli- 
cated, and  to  require  too  much  attention.  Then  when  the 
common  smoke-flue  was  tried  corresponding  difficulties 


78 


PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 


arose,  it  requiring  nearly  the  same  attention  as  the  more 
expensive  boiler.  Occasionally  these  conservatories  are 
heated  by  registers  from  the  furnace  heater,  just  as  the 
ordinary  rooms  of  the  dwelling;  but  I  have  rarely  seen 
any  so  heated  wherein  the  plants  looked  well,  it  being 
ditficult  to  get  the  register  so  placed"  as  to  diffuse  the  heat 

UJ 


Fig.  34. — SECTION   OF  HOUSE  ASD  COXSERVATOBT. 

evenly.  A  new  base-burning  water-heater  has  been 
invented  by  Hitchings  &  Co.,  the  well  known  green- 
house-heating firm.  There  is  nothing  new  in  the  princi- 
ple, nothing  to  patent,  I  believe.  It  is  simply  making  the 
ordinary  base-burning  stove  heat  water  so  that  it  will 
circulate  in  iron  pipes  and  warm  a  small  green-house  or 


BASE-BUKXING   WATEE-HEATER.  79 

conservatory  attached  to  a  dwelling  or  otherwise,  exactly 
as  our  larger  boilers  do,  which  are  not  usually  made  on 
the  base-burning  principle.  The  patterns  they  have  thus 
far  made  (*hown  in  figure  22  and  in  section  in  figure  23)  are 
42  inches  high  and  21  inches  at  base,  and  are  powerful 
enough  to  heat  a  green-house  10  feet  wide  by  20  feet  long, 
or  about  400  square  feet  of  glass  surface,  taking  into 
account  the  front  and  ends.  The  complete  cost  of  heating, 
including  boiler,  pipes,  and  fitting  up,  will  range  from 
$150  to  $200.  The  care  necessary  in  the  management  of 
this  base-burning  water-heater  is  exactly  the  same  as  that 
required  for  an  ordinary  base-burning  stove,  and  it  may 
be  safely  left  twelve  hours  without  attention,  keeping  a 
temperature  in  the  house  of  from  50°  to  60°  at  night, 
which  is  about  what  is  required  for  a  general  collection  of 
plants.  Figure  24  shows  the  boiler  placed  alongside  the 
kitchen  range,  being  in  a  basement  and  one  story  lower 
than  the  conservatory.  It  can  either  be  used'  in  this 
way,  or  placed  in  the  conservatory  itself  if  so  desired. 
It  must  be  borne  in  mind  though,  in  constructing  a  con- 
servatory, that  it  must  be  placed  where  a  chimney  can  be 
used,  as  of  course  an  outlet  must  be  had  for  smoke  ex- 
actly as  in  any  ordinary  room  where  a  stove  of  any  kind 
is  used. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

PROPAGATION  OF  PLANTS  BY  SEEDS. 

The  propagation  of  plants  of  all  kinds  by  seeds  is  a 
matter  in  which  instructions  can  be  given  only  to  a  certain 
extent.  Long  experience  only  can  give  the  necessary 
knowledge  for  the  full  understanding  of  the  proper  tern- 


80  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

perature  and  humidity  essential  for  the  successful  ger- 
mination of  the  different  varieties.  It  may  be  laid  down 
as  a  safe  rule,  however,  that  for  the  hardier  varieties,  a 
low  or  medium  temperature  is  required,  say  from  45°  to 
60°,  and  for  the  tender  species,  a  temperature  from  75°  to 
90°. 

If  Pansy  seed  is  sown  in  July  or  August,  where  the 
temperature  in  the  shade  averages  80°,  no  matter  how 
moist  the  soil  is  kept,  if  germination  takes  place  at  all  it 
will  be  of  so  feeble  a  kind  that  the  seedlings  will  not  con. 
tinue  a  healthy  existence;  but  if  the  same  seed  were 
sown  in  September  or  October,  with  an  average  tempera- 
ture of  say  60°  hi  the  shade,  a  quick  and  healthy  germina- 
tion would  be  the  result.  The  same  rule  applies  to 
Cinerarias,  Calceolarias,  Auriculas,  Primulas,  and  all  other 
plants  of  this  half-hardy  nature.  English,  Scotch,  and 
Irish  gardeners,  before  they  have  had  time  for  experience 
in  this  country,  are  apt  to  fall  into  the  common  error  of 
sowing  all  these  seeds  too  soon.  Though  it  is  proper  to 
sow  these  seeds  in  July  and  August  in  England,  with  us, 
in  this  section,  it  must  be  delayed  to  September  or 
October,  and  in  warm  latitudes  still  later,  or  failure  is 
almost  certain  to  follow.  On  the  other  hand,  if  we  at- 
tempt to  germinate  Portulacas,  Balsams,  Amaranths, 
Zinnias,  or  other  plants  of  tropical  origin,  in  the  medium 
temperature  of  50°,  they  will  either  remain  dormant  until 
a  higher  temperature  occurs,  or  perish.  Ignorance  of,  or 
inattention  to,  these  conditions,  is  far  oftener  the  cause  of 
failure  than  want  of  vitality  in  seeds. 

Whether  seeds  are  sown  in  the  open  border,  in  the 
window  garden  of  the  parlor,  in  the  hot-bed,  or  green- 
house, the  same  conditions  should  be  observed,  as  far  as 
practicable.  In  the  open  border  there  is  not  always  a 
choice  of  soil,  but  if  soil  is  to  be  prepared,  let  it  be  of  a 
light  nature;  leaf-mould  from  the  woods,  and  well- 
pulverized  muck  from  the  swamps,  are  excellent  to  sift  on 


PKOPA GATING    PLAJNTS    FKOil    SEED.  81 

as  a  covering;  or,  where  it  is  obtainable,  the  mould 
formed  by  decayed  refuse  hops  is  of  great  value  as  a 
covering  for  seeds.  We  have  employed  this  exclusively 
as  a  covering  for  seeds  of  all  kinds  for  many  years,  with 
results  which  have  been  vastly  superior  to  those  we  had 
when  we  did  not  use  it. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  at  first  seeds  do  not 
so  much  need  a  fertile  soil  as  they  do  one  having  the 
necessary  mechanical  condition ;  this  is  found  exactly  in 
the  light,  moisture-retaining  nature  of  hop-mould.  We 
can  give  no  better  rule  than  the  old  one  of  covering  seeds 
to  about  their  own  depth  with  mould,  although  something 
depends  on  the  weight  of  the  material  with  which  they 
are  covered.  One-fourth  of  an  inch  in  depth  of  hop- 
mould  or  leaf-mould  would  be  no  more  than  equivalent  to 
half  that  depth  of  ordinary  loam ;  hence  the  advantage  in 
using  it,  as  it  gives  the  seed  a  moist,  springy  covering, 
through  which  the  tiny  germ  can  freely  push. 

We  know  it  is  a  practice  very  common  with  amateurs, 
and  many  gardeners,  when  starting  seeds  in  hot-bed  or 
green-house,  to  use  flower-pots  in  this  operation;  they 
are  generally  two-thirds  filled  with  potsherds,  overlaying 
which  is  an  inch  or  two  of  soil,  and  on  this  the  seed  is 
sown.  Any  continuation  of  dry  weather  necessitates 
almost  daily  watering  of  the  flower-pots ;  this  bakes  or 
hardens  the  surface,  while  a  day's  inattention  to  them 
dries  the  soil,  while  it  is  in  this  condition,  so  as  to  injure 
the  vitality  of  the  seeds;  hence  very  unsatisfactory  results 
too  often  follow  this  practice. 

For  many  years  we  have  entirely  discarded  the  use  of 
earthen  flower-pots  or  pans  for  the  purpose  of  sowing 
seeds,  and  use  shallow  boxes  instead.  These  we  prepare 
by  cutting  the  common-sized  soap-box  in  three  pieces, 
each  one  of  a  depth  of  about  two  inches.  These  boxes 
are  filled  with  the  prepared  soil  to  the  depth  of  I1!,  inch, 
which  is  gently  and  evenly  pressed,  so  as  to  give  an  en- 


82  PEACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

tireiy  level  surface ;  the  seeds  are  then  sown,  and  a  light 
covering,  from  l\lt  to  :|4  part  of  an  inch  thick,  according 
to  size  or  strength  of  seed,  is  sifted  over  them,  through  a 
sieve  having  a  mesh  only  '|  13  part  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 
The  covering  is  gently  pressed,  to  prevent  the  air  pene- 
trating the  loose  soil  and  drying  up  the  seeds;  watering, 
which  it  is  well  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible,  is  thus  ren- 
dered less  necessary.  Be  careful,  however,  not  to  let 
them  suffer  for  moisture,  as  in  the  weak  condition  of  seed- 
lings most  plants  are  quickly  injured  by  neglect  of  this 
kind,  and,  even  with  all  possible  car.:>,  we  experience 
serious  losses.  Many  varieties  will  "damp  off,''  as  we 
term  it,  just  as  the  first  rough  leaves  are  being  formed; 
this,  however,  is  not  the  result  of  excessive  moisture,  as 
it  occurs  just  as  quickly  in  a  dry  temperature  as  a  moist 
one.  It  is  evidently  caused  by  the  same  insidious  spider- 
web-like  substance  that  is  known  among  gardeners  as  the 
"fungus  of  the  cutting  bench,"  and  is  evidently  one  of 
the  minute  fungi  of  which  we  have  so  many  representa- 
tives. The  best  preventive  of  this  disease,  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  is,  just  as  soon  as  the  seedling  plants  can  be 
handled,  to  take  them  from  the  seed-boxes,  and  prick 
them  out  in  boxes  of  similar  mould,  from  'I,  to  2  inches 
apart,  according  to  the  variety.  This  is  a  much  better 
method  than  potting  them  off  in  flower-pots,  as  it  not 
only  saves  time  and  room,  but  they  always  do  better.  In 
the  flower-pots  they  are  liable  to  be  dried  up,  and  the 
tender  roots  of  the  seedling  plant  quickly  destroyed. 

We  use  these  shallow  boxes  largely  for  pricking  off 
cuttings  from  our  propagating  benches,  instead  of  potting 
them  off,  particularly  such  plants  as  are  wanted  for  stock 
to  be  planted  out  in  the  open  ground,  as,  after  being 
rooted  in  the  cutting-bench,  and  planted  out  in  these 
shallow  boxes,  they  can  there  remain,  occupying  less 
space,  and  in  every  respect  growing  as  well  as  if  in  pots. 
Carnations  and  Roses  we  work  largely  in  this  way. 


VABIETIES    FROM    SEED.  83 

CHAPTER    XV. 

WHAT  VARIETIES  COME  TRUE  FROM  SEED  ? 

An  intelligent  correspondent  asks  the  question  given 
above.  He  queries  still  farther,  and  says :  "  An  apple-seed 
produces  an  apple-tree,  but  a  Baldwin  apple-seed  will  not 
produce  a  Baldwin  apple-tree.  Wheat  of  any  variety 
produces  the  same ;  seed  of  a  scarlet  variety  of  Verbena 
will  not  always  produce  its  like.  Why  this  anomaly  ?  " 
The  "  why  "  of  the  matter  can  not  be  told,  but  a  few 
general  rules  may  be  useful.  Seeds  of  plants  in  the  wild 
state,  in  their  native  habitats,  almost  invariably  produce  a 
progeny  nearly  identical  with  the  parent ;  and  many 
species,  even  after  they  have  been  subjected  to  long  years 
of  cultivation,  never  appear  to  change  seemingly  in  the 
slightest  degree.  Other  species  under  cultivation  quickly 
develop  varieties  entirely  different  from  the  original,  and 
become  what  is  technically  termed  "  broken."  Thus  the 
original  species  of  our  well-known  Verbena  is  indigenous 
to  South  America,  having  a  comparatively  small  scarlet 
flower.  From  this,  and  probably  some  other  species 
hybridized  with  it,  we  have  the  gorgeous  and  varied  col- 
oring of  the  variety  of  to-day.  But  it  took  many  years 
to  produce  these,  for  \ve  can  well  remember  in  our  early 
gardening  days  there  was  no  white,  and  the  furor  that 
took  place  in  the  floricultural  world  Avhen  Verbena 
teucrioides,  the  first  white,  appeared.  It  was  far  from 
being  an  attractive  plant,  but  the  color  was  novel,  and 
single  plants  were  sold  by  the  florists  of  that  time  at  a 
price  that  would  now  buy  a  hundred.  The  Verbena,  then, 
is  one  genus  whose  species  have  given  us  innumerable 
varieties.  The  Chrysanthemum,  Dahlin,  Fuchsia,  Ger- 
anium, Pansy,  Petunia,  the  Rose,  and  many  others,  are 
also  familiar  examples  where  the  original  species  has 


84  PRACTICAL   FLOKICTTLTUBE. 

"  broken  "  from  what  may  be  termed  its  primary  condi- 
tion into  everchanging  variety.  Thus  changed,  it  is  pro- 
bable that  their  seeds  will  never  produce  two  individual 
plants  exactly  alike,  any  more  than  two  identical  human 
faces  or  forms  are  produced.  It  is  probable  that  all  species 
of  animals  and  vegetables,  under  long  years  of  domesti- 
cation and  cultivation,  would  ultimately  "  break  "  from 
the  original  type,  though  we  know  that  in  some  species 
this  tendency  sooner  develops  than  in  others.  It  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at  that  amateur  horticulturists,  like 
my  friend,  are  puzzled  at  what  looks  like  inconsistency  in 
nature — why  she  refuses  to  produce  always  again  his 
Baldwin  apple,  or  his  Rareripe  peach,  his  Striped  Petunia, 
or  his  Double  Carnation,  yet  gives  him  back  seemingly 
identical  with  the  parent  his  corn  or  his  wheat,  his  tomato 
or  his  cabbage,  or  in  flowers  his  Mignonette  or  Alyssum. 
I  say  seemingly,  for  it  may  be  doubted  if  they  are 
identical,  only  that  the  variation  is  so  slightly  marked 
that  it  escapes  notice.  Many  whose  experience  in  such 
matters  should  have  taught  them  better,  are  always  con- 
founding plants  raised  from  cuttings  or  slips  with  those 
raised  from  seeds,  and  can  not  see  why  the  plant  raised 
from  the  slip  or  root  of  a  White  Dahlia,  or  the  tree  raised 
from  the  graft  of  a  Baldwin  apple,  should  be  always  iden- 
tical with  the  plant  or  tree  from  which  they  are  taken, 
while  the  seeds  taken  from  either  would  not  produce  the 
same.  Any  cutting  from  a  root  or  a  branch,  whether 
rooted  itself  or  engrafted  on  another  stock  (except  in  rare 
cases  of  sports),  will  be  identical  with  that  of  the  original 
form  from  which  it  was  taken;  in  fact,  it  is  only  a 
separated  part  of  the  same  plant,  while  the  plant  raised 
from  seed  is  a  distinct  individual. 

Very  few  not  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  flowers  as  a 
business,  know  that  many  of  the  most  beautiful  ones  used 
to  decorate  flower-beds  in  summer,  and  the  hot-house  or 
parlor  in  winter,  can  be  raised  from  seed.  The  price  of 


VARIETIES    FEOM    SEED.  85 

seeds,  as  compared  with  plants,  is  very  low ;  a  package 
of  seed  costing  twenty-five  cents  will  usually  raise  as 
many  plants  as  could  be  bought  from  the  florists  for 
$25.  It  is  true  that  care  and  labor  are  necessary 
in  starting  them,  but  the  pleasure  derived  from  the  opera- 
tion alone,  well  repays  that,  independently  of  economic 
considerations.  April  is  the  best  month  for  sowing  most 
of  the  seeds  of  tropical  plants,  and  it  is  best  done,  where 
there  is  the  convenience,  in  a  hot-bed.  The  hot-bed  is 
made  in  the  usual  manner.  The  soil  used  should  be, 
if  possible,  of  a  light,  sandy  nature,  mixed  with  at  least 
one-third  of  leaf-mould  from  the  woods ;  if  the  leaf-mould 
is  not  procurable,  pulverized  muck,  or  stable  manure  j-otted 
to  the  condition  of  mould,  will  do  nearly  as  well.  This  is 
spread  over  the  manure  of  the  depth  of  about  six  inches. 
The  sashes  of  the  hot-bed  should  fit  close,  and  there  should 
be  some  material  ready  for  covering  the  sash  at  night ; 
either  straw-mats  or  shutters.  "We,  ourselves,  use  shut- 
ters made  out  of  ^-inch  stuff,  and  exactly  the  size  of  the 
sash.  All  these  preparations  being  made,  insert  a  ther- 
mometer in  the  soil  covering  the  hot-bed,  and  when  it 
indicates  a  declining  temperature  of  75°,  the  seeds  may 
be  sown.  Most  of  the  flower-seeds  may  be  sown  in  a  hot- 
bed just  as  we  sovv  egg-plants  or  tomatoes,  which  is  best 
done  for  private  use  by  sowing  in  rows  from  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  to  an  inch  in  depth,  according  to  the  size  of  the 
seed,  the  distance  between  the  rows  being  two  or  three 
inches.  Let  me  here  repeat  a  caution  that  I  have 
often  given  in  connection  with  seed-sowing :  Be  sure  that 
the  soil  used  for  covering  the  seed  is  light;  nothing  is 
better  than  leaf-mould,  but  if  it  can  not  be  got,  use  the 
other  substitutes  before  named.  One  half  of  the  loss  in 
seeds  is  in  consequence  of  their  being  covered  with  a 
heavy,  clayey  soil.  The  vital  force  of  different  plants  in 
this  respect  is  widely  different.  Thus,  while  the  seeds  of 
tomato  will  germinate  in  almost  any  Boil,  the  egg-plant — 


86  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

a  vegetable  of  the  same  class — requires  the  utmost  care. 
As  soon  as  the  seeds  have  grown  so  as  to  attain  the  first 
true  leaves — that  is,  the  first  leaves  that  show  after  the 
seed-leaves — they  must  be  replanted  carefully  in  soft, 
light  soil,  at  from  one  to  three  inches  apart,  according  to 
the  kind.  This  will  not  only  prevent  them  from  damping 
<>fF,  as  many  of  them  are  very  apt  to  do,  but  they  will  be 
much  stronger  and  suffer  less  when  replanted  to  the  open 
ground.  We  prefer  to  replant  the  seedlings  in  the  shallow 
boxes  already  described.  They  are  more  portable  thus  than 
if  planted  again  in  the  soil  of  the  hot-bed,  though,  of 
course,  after  planting  in  the  boxes  these  are  put  again 
in  the  hot-bed.  After  the  seedlings  have  been  planted 
in  tfie^e  boxes  lightly  water  them  and  shade  for  two 
or  three  days.  As  the  season  advances,  attend  to  venti- 
lation, watering,  and  covering  up  at  night. 

To  such  as  have  not  the  convenience  of  a  hot-bed,  the 
flower-seeds  may  be  sown  in  the  shallow  boxes  above 
mentioned,  and  placed  in  the  window  of  a  south  or  east 
room,  where  the  thermometer  does  not  average  less  than 
70°.  Success  would  be  more  complete,  however,  if  panes 
of  glass  were  placed  over  the  seeds,  resting  on  the  edge 
of  the  box  an  inch  or  so  from  the  soil.  This  would  pre- 
vent evaporation,  and  render  watering,  which  has  the  ef- 
fect of  caking  the  surface  of  the  soil  and  preventing  ger- 
mination, less  necessary. 

We  will  name  the  varieties  of  flowers  most  suitable  for 
amateurs  to  sow: 

(anna  Illdica,  or  Indian  Shot,  grown  mainly  for  the 
beauty  of  its  foliage.  Sown  in  hot-bed  in  April,  and 
planted  out  in  the  open  ground  in  June,  will,  by  August, 
attain  a  height  of  six  or  eight  feet.  In  addition  to 
the  rich,  tropical-looking  foliage,  the  flowers  of  some  sorts 
are  handsome — colors  yellow,  scarlet,  orange,  etc. 

Antirrhinum,  or  Snap-Dragon. — A   beautiful    summer 


VARIETIES    FROM    SEED.  87 

flowering  plant,  presenting  a  great  diversity  of  coloring, 
is  easily  raised  from  seed  in  the  hot-bed.  The  Antirrhin- 
ums may  be  planted  out  in  this  latitude  in  May,  and 
flower  from  middle  of  June  throughout  the  summer. 

Cob«*ea  Scandens. — A  climbing  plant,  which  will  attain, 
from  seed,  a  growth  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  one 
season.  The  flowers  are  bell-shaped ;  purple  ;  3  inches  in 
length  by  T^-inch  in  breadth.  The  seeds  are  thin  and 
flat,  and  should  be  placed  on  edge  when  sown. 

Colons, — This  famous  ornamental-leaved  plant  is  easily 
raised  from  seed,  and  breaks  into  endless  varieties.  It  is 
exceedingly  tender,  however,  and  had  better  not  be  sown 
before  May,  nor  planted  out  before  June. 

Zonal  Geraniums  are,  perhaps,  the  most  valuable  of  all 
plants  for  summer-blooming  in  our  climate.  They  are 
easily  raised  from  seed,  and  will  well  reward  the  amateur 
by  the  endless  variety  produced.  A  few  years  ago  the 
only  colors  of  these  were  scarlet  and  pink.  Now  we 
have  them  of  every  shade,  from  white  to  crimson,  with 
endless  tints  of  scarlet  and  rose.  The  Zonal  Geraniums 
may  be  lifted  and  potted  in  the  fall,  and  if  well  pruned  in 
when  lifted  will  bloom  finely  in  winter. 

Lantana  is  another  plant  easily  raised  from  seed;  the 
flower  resembles  somewhat  the  Verbena,  but  has,  besides 
many  of  the  colors  found  in  the  Verbena,  orange  and 
yellow,  which  are  not  found'  in  that  flower. 

Lobelias, — Dwarf  plants,  well  suited  for  hanging- 
baskets,  or  for  ribbon-lining.  The  flowers  range  from 
white  to  blue.  The  blue  of  the  Lobelia  is  often  of  the 
richest  azure,  unsurpassed  by  that  of  any  other  plant. 

Pansy,  or  Heart's-ease. — The  usual  mode  with  the  flor- 
ists is  to  sow  the  seeds  of  Pansy  in  the  fall,  so  that  the 
plants  may  be  large  enough  to  be  in  bloom  when  he  sells 
in  May.  In  this  condition  it  will  flower,  perhaps  only  to 
the  middle  of  June,  for  by  thus  being  prematurely  forced 


BO  PRACTICAL    FLOKICrLTl'RE. 

into  flower  it  becomes  exhausted  and  stops  blooming,  and 
often  dies  outright ;  but  when  sown  in  February  or 
March,  in  green-house  or  hot-bed,  the  growth  is  uncheck- 
ed, and  it  will  grow  and  flower  from  June  to  November. 

Petunias,  being  of  rapid  growth,  will  flower  the  first 
season,  even  if  sown  in  the  open  ground,  but  usually  not 
before  July  or  August.  If  sown  in  the  hot-bed  in  April, 
they  will  bloom  in  June  and  make  larger  and  finer  plants. 

DianthllS. — The  Pinks  are  numerous  and  varied,  many 
of  them  having  a  rich,  clove  fragrance.  They  present  an 
endless  variety  in  color  and  style  of  flower. 

Salvia  Splendens,  or  Scarlet  Sage. — Seeds  of  this  sown 
in  April  will  flower  by  July  or  August,  and  continue 
throughout  the  season.  This,  perhaps,  is  the  most  gorgeous 
plant  of  our  gardens ;  single  plants  often  attain  a 
height  of  six  feet,  and  nearly  as  much  in  diameter,  having 
a  hundred  scarlet,  plume-like  flower-spikes.  The  color  is 
so  intense  when  seen  against  a  green  background,  that  it 
is  often  visible  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile. 

Verbenas, — The  most  popular  plant  of  the  day  is  easily 
raised  from  seed,  and  no  other  plant  that  we  know  of  will 
so  well  reward  the  trouble.  The  number  of  varieties  now 
attained  is  something  wonderful,  even  to  us  in  the  trade. 
Every  year  develops  some  new  strain.  Every  color  seem- 
ingly is  obtained  but  yellow  or  orange ;  these  we  never 
expect  to  have,  as  there  seems  to  be  a  natural  law  of  the 
floral  kingdom  that  blue,  yellow,  and  scarlet  are  never 
found  in  varieties  of  the  same  species.  Thus  we  have  in 
Dahlias  and  Roses  yellow  and  scarlet  colors  but  no  blue, 
just  as  we  have  in  Verbenas  blue  and  scarlet  but  no 
yellow.  My  readers  will  do  well  to  remember  this,  and 
be  saved,  as  they  occasionally  are,  from  investing  in 
"blue"  Roses  or  Dahlias,  and  "yellow"  Verbenas,  and 
know  that  the  seller  must  either  be  ignorant  of  his  trade 
or  dishonest. 


PBOPAGATION    OF    PLANTS    BY    CUTTIXGS.  89 

Double  Zinnias, — These,  like  Petunias  or  Balsams,  can 
be  raised  to  flower  by  August  if  sown  in  the  open 
ground,  but  if  sown  under  glass  in  April  will  flower  in 
June  and  throughout  the  entire  season,  making  larger 
and  finer  plants.  There  are  few  plants  that  have  im- 
proved so  much  as  the  Zinnia,  and  we  have  now  dazzling, 
scarlets,  yellow,  orange,  lilac,  rose,  white,  and  crimson- 
rivaling  the  Dahlia  in  symmetry  of  form. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

PROPAGATION    OF    PLANTS    BY    CUTTINGS. 

Of  all  the  operations  of  the  florist,  the  one  above  all 
others  in  importance  is  the  propagation  of  plants  by  cut- 
tings. It  is  the  fount  from  which  the  supply  must  come, 
and  becomes  inexhaustible  in  the  hands  of  a  careful 
operator.  I  say  a  careful  operator,  rather  than  a  skillful 
one,  for,  in  my  estimation,  a  great  amount  of  knowledge 
is  not  so  necessary  to  success  as  that  a  never-flagging, 
careful  application  of  that  knowledge  should  be  made. 
A  careful  man,  who  has  had  the  run  of  a  propagating 
establishment  for  one  year,  and  who  has  kept  his  eyes  and 
ears  open,  will  have  acquired  a  theoretical  and  practical 
knowledge  of  the  business  sufficient  to  enable  him  to 
operate  with  success,  provided  he  is  of  fair  intelligence 
and  studious  habits.  On  the  other  hand,  we  find  hundreds 
who  have  spent  the  best  part  of  their  lives  in  the  trade, 
whose  careless  character  renders  useless  the  knowledge 
possessed,  when  this  branch  of  horticulture  is  placed  in 
their  charge. 

I  have  long  held  the  opinion  that  the  necessary  knowl- 
edge to  successfully  propagate  plants  by  cuttings  is  very 


90  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

simple,  and  may  easily  be  imparted  by  writing,  even  to 
one  having  no  acquaintance  "whatever  with  the  operation. 
I  will  first  state  the  system  practised  by  commercial  florists, 
following  with  that  suited  for  amateurs  or  private  gar- 
deners. 

"When  the  operations  are  such  as  require  a  house  SGI 
apart  exclusively  for  propagating,  the  best  style,  in  our 
opinion,  is  that  shown  by  the  diagram  on  page  55. 

We  have  used  this  style  for  the  past  three  years,  and, 
thus  far,  cannot  see  how  it  can  be  further  improved  upon ; 
it  works  perfectly,  and  if  the  simple  conditions  which  we 
lay  down  for  our  guidance  are  strictly  followed,  failure  is 
an  impossibility.  It  will  be  seen  by  the  diagram  that 
the  heating  is  done  by  hot  water  pipes,  two  of  which 
(4  inches  in  diameter)  run  under  each  bench ;  but  it  must 
not  be  supposed  that  it  is  indispensable  that  the  heating 
of  a  propagating  house  should  be  done  with  hot  water,  to 
insure  success.  The  common  smoke-flue,  run  under  the 
bench  in  the  same  position  as  shown  for  the  pipes,  will 
give  bottom  heat,  if  carefully  regulated,  just  as  well  as 
the  hot  water  pipes ;  only  in  all  cases  where  the  first  cost 
is  not  an  object,  we  advise  heating  by  hot  water  in  pref- 
erence to  flues.  The  bottom  of  the  bench  is  best  formed 
of  slate  or  thin  flagging-stone,  as  they  are  better  con- 
ductors of  heat  than  wood.  When  it  is  not  convenient 
to  obtain  these,  common  rough  boarding  will  answer. 
The  scale  applied  to  the  diagram  will  give  the  measure- 
ments. 

We  are  in  the  habit  of  placing  3  or  4  inches  of  well- 
rotted  refuse  hops,  tan  bark,  or  some  such  material,  well 
beaten  down,  over  the  boarding  or  flagging ;  over  this 
we  place  about  2  inches  of  sand.  Our  reason  for  using 
the  first-named  materials,  passing  the  heat  through  them 
before  it  reaches  the  sand  in  which  the  cuttings  are  placed 
is,  that  it  becomes  modified  and  approaches  to  the  moist 
and  genial  heat  of  the  hot-bed.  This  practice  is  by  no 


PROPAGATION    OF    PLANTS    BY    CUTTINGS.  91 

means  indispensable  to  adopt,  as  sand  alone,  placed  on  the 
boards  or  flagging,  to  the  depth  of  3  inches,  will  answer 
the  purpose  very  well ;  but  when  the  materials  can  be 
procured  conveniently,  we  believe  it  to  be  preferable. 
Some  gardeners  give  preference  to  particular  colors  or 
textures  of  sand,  but  I  think  that  these  have  little  or 
nothing  to  do  with  the  rooting  of  cuttings.  In  our  ex- 
periments, we  have  tried  sands  of  all  colors  and  of  nearly 
all  textures,  together  with  charcoal-dust,  brick-dust,  cocoa- 
nut  fibre,  rotted  refuse  hops,  and  many  other  materials ; 
cuttings  root  in  all  in  nearly  the  same  time  and  with  the 
same  success,  satisfying  us,  beyond  all  doubt,  that  the 
material  in  which  the  cutting  is  placed  acts  merely  as  a 
medium  to  hold  the  moisture.  We  use  sand  because  it  is 
a  clean  and  convenient  material  to  work  with,  and  is 
generally  easily  attainable.  In  my  earlier  experience,  I 
was  a  victim  to  the  popular  notion  that  it  was  necessary 
to  use  silver  sand  in  the  propagation  of  particular  plants, 
and  was  for  years  at  much  trouble  and  expense  to  obtain 
it.  But  this  even  did  not  save  us;  we  were  in  those 
days  working  at  hap-hazard,  failing  quite  as  often  as  suc- 
ceeding, until  further  experience  taught  us  what  were  the 
causes  of  failure  and  the  conditions  of  success. 

With  exceptions  so  few,  and  those  of  so  little  impoi't- 
ance  that  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  allude  to  them,  cut- 
tings of  all  kinds  root  freely  from  slips  taken  from  the 
young  wood — that  is,  the  succulent  or  un ripened  growth 
that  a  plant  has  made.  The  proper  condition  of  the  slip 
at  the  time  that  it  is  inserted  in  the  sand  of  the  cutting- 
bench  is  of  great  importance, — a  condition  which  it  is 
astonishing  to  believe  is  so  little  understood  among  gar- 
deners. Somehow  the  idea  has  become  current  that  every 
cutting  must  be  made  by  cutting  just  below  a  joint  or 
just  at  one.  The  practice  of  this  system  leads  undoubt- 
edly to  many  cases  of  failure;  not  that  the  mere  cutting  at 
or  below  a  joint  either  assists  or  hinders  the  forma- 


92  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

tion  of  roots,  but  from  the  fact  that  when  a  slip  is 
cut  at  a  joint  the  shoot  has  often  become  too  hard  at 
that  point,  while  half  an  inch  higher  up,  or  above  the 
joint,  the  proper  condition  would  be  found.  The  safest 
rule  for  the  novice  to  adopt  in  propagating  all  kinds  of 


.  25.— PROPER  AND  IMPROPER   CONDITIONS   OF   CUTTING. 


soft-wooded  plants  is  to  bend  the  cutting  on  the  shoot ; 
if  it  breaks  or  snaps,  as  in  the  upper  part  of  figure  25,  it 
is  in  the  right  condition,  but  if  it  can  be  bent  without 
snapping,  as  shown  in  the  lower  part  of  the  same  figure, 
it  is  then  too  hard.  We  know  it  will  root  even  in  this 
hard  condition,  but  it  will  root  more  slowly,  and  the  roots 
emitted  will  be  hard  and  slender,  and,  ns  a  consequence, 
will  not  be  likely  to  produce  a  plant  of  the  same  vigor  as 


PROPAGATION    OF    PLANTS    BY    CUTTINGS.  93 

that  made  from  one  in  the  proper  state.  In  propagating 
woody  plants,  such  as  Roses,  Azaleas,  Daphnes,  etc.,  this 
test  of  breaking  or  snapping  does  not  apply,  although  all 
these  will  root,  if  taken  in  the  same  way;  yet  we  find  h 
enfeebles  their  growth  more  than  if  the  cutting  is  allowed 
to  get  harder.  What  this  degree  of  hardness  is,  it  is 
difficult  to  describe ;  in  Roses  it  assumes  the  proper  de- 
gree of  hardness  when  the  shoot  develops  the  flower-bud. 
But,  although  we  do  not  take  Rose  cuttings  in  the  same 
succulent  condition  as  we  would  a  Fuchsia  or  a  Verbena, 

it  must  not  be  imagined 
that  it  is  necessary  to 
make  the  cutting  at  a 
joint.  The  doing  away 
with  this  custom  in 
propagating  Roses  en- 
ables us  to  increase  the 
product  of  a  plant  at 
least  twice  as  much  as 
if  we  practised  under 
this  dogma,  for  the  cut- 
ting will  root  just  as 
well,  and  become  quite 
as  good  a  plant,  if  made 
with  a  single  eye,  (figure 

Fig.  26.-ROSE  WITH  SINGLE  EYE.  ^   ^   jf  ^    ^  &  ^ 

having  two  or  three  eyes,  (figure  27).  Although  we  have 
said  that  cuttings  can  be  as  easily  rooted  without  being  cut 
at  a  joint  as  otherwise,  yet  there  are,  in  some  plants,  other 
considerations  that  necessitate  that  they  should  never  be 
cut  except  at  a  joint ;  for  example,  a  Dahlia  cutting  will 
root  quite  as  freely,  make  as  fine  a  flowering  plant 
in  fall,  and  the  tuberous  root  increase  to  its  full  size; 
but  it  will  not  be  able  to  start  again  in  spring,  because 
the  Dahlia  pushes  only  from  the  crown  of  the  root,  and  if 
the  crown  has  not  been  formed  from  a  cutting  cut  close 


94 


PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 


below  a  joint,  as  in  figure  28,  it  is  worthless,  as  the  tubers 
and  crown  formed  without  an  eye  possess  no  latent  or 
dormant  buds ;  hence  the  importance  of  always  making 
Dahlia  cuttings  by  cutting  immediately  below  an  eye,  if 
the  roots  are  wanted  for  future  i<se. 

In  cases  where  it  is  desired  to  make  the  most  of  new 
plants,  we  sometimes 
split  the  cuttings,  as 
shown  in  figure  29. 
This  method,  however, 
is  not  generally  desir- 
able, and  we  question 
if,  except  in  cases  of 
Calceolarias,  and  a  few 
other  plants  of  like 
character,  it  is  ever 
worthy  of  practice. 

If  a  plant  is  perpet- 
uated by  cuttings  with 
difficulty,  we  usually 
find  it  is  freely  increas- 
ed in  some  other  way  ; 
thus  the  Cyclamen, 
Myrsiphyllum,  some 
varieties  of  Cleroden- 
dron,  etc.,  are  slow  to 
increase  by  division  or  cutt  ings,  but  are  abundantly  multi- 
plied by  seeds.  Again,  the  Bouvardias,  Anemone  Japoni- 
ca,  Pyrus  Japonica,  Calycanthus,  etc.,  are  slowly  increased 
by  cuttings  or  shoots,  while  by  cuttings  of  the  roots  they 
are  propagated  with  the  greatest  ease  and  rnpidity. 

The  roots  of  such  plants  are  thickly  studded  with  latent, 
or,  as  they  are  termed,  adventitious  buds.  These  are  cut 
into  pieces  of  half  an  inch  or  so  in  length,  as  in  figure  30, 
strewn  thickly  on  the  propagating  bench,  and  covered 
over  with  an  eighth  of  an  inch  of  sand,  mixed  with  sonic 


Fig.  27.— ROSE  WITH  SEVERAL  EYES. 


PROPAGATION    OF    PLANTS    BY    CUTTINGS. 


1)5 


material,  such  as  finely  sifted  rotten  refuse  hops  or 
leaf  mould.  These  are  treated  exactly  in  the  way  of  cut- 
tings of  the  shoots,  except  that  there  is  no  necessity  ever 
to  shade  root  cuttings ;  water  should  be  sparingly  given 
until  they  have  freely  started  through  their  covering. 
One  of  the  most  important  plants  to  propagate  by  root 
cuttings  is  the  Bouvar- 
dia,  and  it  requires  to 
be  placed  in  a  high 
temperature.  It  is  bet- 
ter not  to  put  the  roots 
in  to  start  before  the 
season  is  sufficiently 
advanced  to  keep  the 
temperature  steadily 
high,  say  jibout  the 
loth  of  March,  or  1st  of 
April.  The  Bouvardia 
is  also  increased  by 
cuttings  of  the  young 
shoots,  but  it  requires 
more  care,  the  plants 
so  made  are  not  so  fine, 
and  the  ease  and  cer- 
tainty with  which  they  Fi£-  28. -DAHLIA  CUTTING. 
make  good  plants  by  cutting  up  the  roots  render  any 
other  mode  useless. 

I  have  said  that  if  the  simple  conditions  that  we  lay 
down  for  our  guidance  in  the  propagation  of  plants  are 
strictly  followed,  failure  is  an  impossibility.  These  con- 
ditions, together  with  the  state  of  the  cutting,  arc  tempera- 
ture and  moisture.  It  is  very  easy  to  give  a  rule  for  these, 
yet  it  requires  unremitting  attention  to  keep  to  that  rule 
through  all  tlie  deviations  of  the  seasons,  and  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  follow  it,  whenever  the  outside  temperature 
exceeds  the  limit  given.  Hence  we  find  that  the  propa- 


96 


PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 


gation  of  most  plants  in  this  section  of  the  country  is  at- 
tended with  great  difficulty,  and  with  but  little  success  in 
the  months  of  June,  July  and  August,  and  for  this  reason 
some  of  the  best  European  propagators  fail,  when  attempt- 

inf  the  operation  here  in 
July,  with  the  thermom- 
eter in  the  shade  .it 
90°,  while  in  London 
success  may  attend  these 
efforts  at  the  same  date ; 
but  then  the  thermome- 
ter there  only  marks 
70°.  This  twenty  de- 
grees just  makes  the 
difference.  I  have  dwelt 
thus  long  on  the  subject 
of  temperature,  to  fix  in 
the  mind  of  the  reader 
what  I  believe  to  be  of 
great  importance,  and  to 
prepare  him  to  under- 
stand, if  failure  occurs, 
where  to  place  the  cause, 
for  without  much  doubt 
every  case  of  failure  is 
traceable  either  to  the 
unsuitable  condition  of 
the  cutting,  irregular- 
Fig.  39.-SPLIT  CUTTING.  &J  of  moisture,  or  tem- 
perature. 

The  most  proper  condition  of  temperature,  to  root  cut- 
tings of  the  great  majority  of  green-house  and  bedding 
kplants,  is  65  degrees  of  bottom  heat,  indicated  by  a  ther- 
mometer plunged  in  the  sand  of  the  bench,  and  an  atmos- 
pheric temperature  of  15  degrees  less.  A  range  of  10  de- 
grees may  be  allowed,  that  is,  5°  lower,  or  5°  higher,  but 


PROPAGATION    OF    PLANTS    BY   CUTTINGS. 


the  nearer  the  heat  of  the  sand  can  be  kept  to  65°,  and 
that  of  the  rest  of  the  house  to  50°,  the  more  perfect  the 
success  will  be. 

From  the  time  the  cuttings  are  inserted  in  the  sand  un- 
til they  are  rooted,  they  should  never  be  allowed  to  get 
dry ;  in  fact,  our  practice  is  to  keep  the  sand  soaked  with 
.^  t.  water,  the  cutting  bench 

^  \  lru\  keing  watered  copiously 
vi/3r,~7,tt  every  morning,  and  often, 
when  the  atmosphere  is 
dry,  again  in  the  evening. 
Kept  thus  saturated,  there 
is  less  chance  of  the  cutting 
getting  wilted,  either  by 
heat  from  the  sun's  rays, 
or  from  fire  heat ;  for  be  it 
remembered  that  if  a  cut- 
ting once  gets  wilted,  its 
juices  are  expended,  and 
it  becomes  in  the  condition 
of  a  hard  cutting,  in  the 
condition  in  which,  when 
bent,  it  will  not  snap  nor 
break, which  we  have  shown 
to  be  the  proper  state  at 
figure  25.  To  avoid  this 
wilting  or  flagging  of  the  cutting,  every  means  that  will 
suggest  itself  to  the  propagator  is  to  be  used.  Our  prac- 
tice is  to  shade  and  give  air  in  the  propagating  house  just 
as  soon  in  the  forenoon  as  the  action  of  the  sun's  rays  on  the 
glass  raises  the  temperature  of  the  house  to  65°  or  70°. 
This  practice  of  giving  air  in  a  propagating  house  is,  I 
am  aware,  not  in  very  common  use ;  many  contending 
that  the  house  should  at  all  times  be  kept  close.  We 
have  tried  both  methods  long  enough  and  extensively 
enough  to  satisfy  us  beyond  all  question,  that  ventilating 


Fig.  30. — ROOT   CUTTING. 


98  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

and  propagating  at  a  low  temperature  is  capable  of 
producing  a  larger  quantity  of  stock  during  the  season  than 
at  a  high  temperature  and  in  a  close  atmosphere.  There 
need  be  no  failures,  and  it  has  the  important  advantage 
of  producing  a  healthy  stock,  which  the  close  or  high 
temperature  system  would  fail  to  do  in  the  case  of  many 
plants.  We  have  often  heard  propagators  vauntingly  tell 
of  taking  out  two  crops  of  cuttings  in  10  days.  We  are 
well  aware  that  this  may  be  done,  but  we  are  also  aware 
that  it  is  often  done  in  damp  and  cloudy  weather  at  the 
risk  of  the  whole  crop,  and  it  must  be  done  at  a  high 
temperature,  which,  at  all  times,  causes  the  plants  to  draw 
up  slender,  and  thus  impairs  their  vigor. 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  permitting  a  moderate  circula- 
tion of  air  in  the  propagating  house  tends  to  prevent  the 
germination  of  that  peculiar  spider-web-like  substance, 
which,  for  want  of  a  better  term,  is  known  among  garden- 
ers as  the  "fungus  of  the  cutting  bench."  Every  one 
who  has  had  any  experience  in  propagating  knows  the 
baneful  effects  of  this ;  how  that,  in  one  night,  it  will  often 
sweep  off  thousands  of  cuttings  that  a  few  hours  before 
were  in  healthful  vigor.  But  this  insidious  enemy  of  the 
propagator  requires,  like  vegetation  of  higher  grades,  con- 
ditions suitable  to  its  development,  which  evidently  are 
a  calm  atmosphere  and  a  temperature  above  55  or  60  de- 
grees. Hence,  to  avoid  this  pest,  we  make  every  effort  by 
shading,  airing,  and  regulation  of  fire  heat,  to  keep  the  at- 
mosphere of  the  house  so  that  it  shall  not  exceed  60°. 
This,  of  course,  is  not  practicable  when  the  outside  tem- 
perature in  the  shade  is  above  60°,  but  the  tempera- 
ture can  be  reduced  considerably  by  dashing  water  on 
the  pathways  and  other  parts  of  the  house.  It  is  rarely, 
however,  that  the  outside  temperature  ever  exceeds  60 
degrees  for  any  length  of  time  in  this  district  before  the 
middle  of  May,  and  all  propagating  should  be  finished 
previous  to  that  time,  unless  of  tropical  plants,  or  plants 


PROPAGATION    OF    PLANTS    BY    CUTTINGS.  99 

that  will  stand  and  require  a  hot-house  temperature  is 
their  growth,  such  as  Poinsettias,  Bouvardias,  Coleus,  Cler- 
odendrons,  etc.  These  propagate  more  freely  in  a  tem- 
perature 20  degrees  higher  than  that  laid  down  for  general 
guidance. 

The  shading  of  the  glass,  to  prevent  the  temperature 
from  rising  in  the  house,  is  done  in  various  ways,  some 
using  canvas,  or  bast-matting,  or  painting  the  glass  with 
lime  or  whitewash.  We  find  the  cheapest  and  most  con- 
venient shading  to  be  that  formed  by  screens  made  of 
common  lath  nailed  an  inch  apart  to  a  frame  the  size  of 
the  sash,  (3x6).  This  gives  an  ever-varying,  modified 
shade,  sufficiently  cooling  to  the  house,  yet  not  darkening 
the  cutting  enough  to  impair  its  vigor.  These  are  not 
put  on  in  the  morning  until  the  temperature  inside  indi- 
cates it  to  be  necessary,  and  are  taken  off  in  the  after- 
noon as  soon  as  the  sun  ceases  to  shine  on  the  glass,  for  it 
is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  cuttings  receive  as 
much  light  as  they  will  bear  without  becoming  wilted. 
Cuttings  rooted  in  too  much  shade,  and  at  a  high  temper- 
ature, are  drawn  up  spindling,  and  take  months  to  recover 
from  the  injury  done  by  this  injudicious  treatment.  The 
time  required  by  cuttings  to  root  varies  from  5  to  20  days, 
according  to  the  variety,  condition  of  the  cutting,  and 
temperature.  Verbenas,  Fuchsias,  or  Heliotropes,  put  in  in 
proper  condition,  and  kept  without  ever  being  allowed  to 
wilt,  will  root  in  an  average  bottom  heat  of  65°,  in  8  days, 
while  Roses,  Pelargoniums,  or  Petunias,  will  take  at  least 
double  that  time  under  the  same  conditions. 

Another  point  of  importance,  and  one  too  often  neglect- 
ed, is  to  pot  off  the  cuttings  at  once  when  rooted,  no  mat- 
ter how  small  the  roots  may  be ;  half  an  inch  is  a  much 
better  length  for  them  to  be  when  potted  than  two  inches, 
and  the  operation  is  much  more  quickly  performed  when 
the  roots  are  short  than  when  long.  But  the  main  evils 
of  delaying  the  potting  off  of  cuttings  are,  that  when 


100  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

left  too  long  the  cuttings  grow  up  weak  for  want  of  room, 
the  roots,  which  become  hard  and  woody,  do  not  strike 
freely  into  the  soil,  greater  care  is  required  in  shading  and 
watering  after  potting,  and  the  plant  usually  loses  its 
lower  leaves,  weakening  its  vitality,  and  subjecting  it  to 
a  greater  chance  of  disease.  "With  but  few  exceptions, 
cuttings  should  never  be  potted  into  pots  exceeding  2£ 
inches  in  diameter ;  the  infant  plant  in  its  transition  state 
has  as  yet  but  limited  vitality,  and  should  not  be  gorged 
with  food.  The  soil  used  should  be  sifted  fine,  through  a 
sieve  with  meshes  something  less  than  ^  of  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter ;  thus  fine,  it  is  more  congenial  to  the  roots,  delicate 
as  yet,  and  besides,  it  is  more  easily  and  quickly  used  in  the 
operation  of  potting.  After  potting  they  should  be  set  on 
a  bench  covered  with  an  inch  or  two  of  sand,  and  freely 
watered  with  a  fine  rose  watering-pot,  and  for  two  or 
three  days  treated  exactly,  in  shading  and  watering,  as  if 
they  were  yet  in  the  propagating  bed.  If  at  this  stage 
they  are  allowed  to  wilt  from  drying,  or  excess  of  heat, 
feeble  and  sickly  plants  will  be  the  result. 

The  preceding  method  is  that  in  use  in  most  of  the  large 
florists'  establishments  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  and 
is  applicable  wherever  there  are  regular  propagating 
and  plant  houses ;  but  as  there  are  hundreds  of  amateur 
florists  having,  perhaps,  only  one  green-house,  and  thou- 
sands who  have  no  green-house  at  all,  who  would  gladly 
know  how  to  increase  their  plants,  to  these  we  can  detail 
a  simple  method,  yet  one  equally  effective  and  safe.  This 
method  has  already  been  described  by  me  in  several  of 
our  horticultural  periodicals,  and  I  can  now  offer  nothing 
new  on  the  subject.  It  is  called  the 

"SAUCER  SYSTEM "  OF  PROPAGATING, 

because  saucers  or  plates  are  used  to  hold  the  sand  in 
which  the  cuttings  are  placed.  This  sand  is  put  in  to  the 
depth  of  an  inch  or  so,  and  the  cuttings  inserted  in  it  close 


PROPAGATION    OF  PLANTS   BY   CDTTINGS.  101 

enough  to  touch  each  other ;  the  sand  is  then  watered  un- 
til it  becomes  in  the  condition  of  mud,  and  placed  on  the 
shelf  of  the  green-house,  or  in  the  window-sill  of  the  sit- 
ting-room or  parlor,  fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  and  never 
shaded.  But  one  condition  is  essential  to  success, — until 
the  cuttings  become  rooted  the  sand  must  be  kept  con- 
tinually saturated,  and  kept  in  the  condition  of  mud  /  if 
once  allowed  to  dry  up,  exposed  to  the  sun  as  they  are, 
the  cuttings  will  quickly  wilt,  and  the  whole  operation 
will  be  defeated.  The  rules  previously  laid  down  for 
the  proper  condition  of  the  cuttings  are  the  same  in  this 
case,  and  those  for  the  temperature  nearly  so ;  although,  by 
the  saucer  system,  a  higher  temperature  can  be  maintained 
without  injury,  as  the  cuttings  are  in  reality  placed  in 
water  and  will  not  droop  at  the  same  temperature  as  if 
the  sand  was  kept  in  the  regular  condition  of  moisture 
maintained  in  the  propagating  bench.  Still  the  detached 
slip,  until  rooted,  will  not  endure  a  continuation  of  exces- 
sive heat,  so  that  we  advise,  as  we  do  in  the  regular  meth- 
od of  propagating,  that  the  attempt  should  not  be  made 
to  root  cuttings  in  this  way,  in  this  latitude,  in  the  months 
of  June,  July,  or  August,  unless  with  plants  of  a  tropical 
nature.  When  the  cuttings  are  rooted,  they  should  be 
potted  in  small  pots,  and  treated  carefully  by  shading  and 
watering  for  a  few  days,  as  previously  directed. 

In  many  of  the  operations  in  floriculture  as  in  vegeta- 
ble gardening,  success  or  failure  depends  upon  their  being 
done  at  the  proper  time,  and  though  it  may  seem  like  a 
needless  repetition,  I  can  not  too  strongly  enforce  upon 
the  novice  the  importance  of  observing  the  dates  that  the 
experience  of  our  best  cultivators  has  shown  to  be  best 
under  our  peculiar  climate.  Whoever  in  this  matter  fol- 
lows the  directions  of  an  English  work  upon  horticulture 
will  be  sure  to  fall  into  difficulties,  although  its  teach- 
ings may  be  ex.ictly  suited  to  the  English  climate.  I 
would  here  refer  to  the  evils  arising  from  the  too  common 


102  PRACTICAL,   FLORICULTURE. 

practice  of  many  of  our  agricultural  and  horticultural 
journals,  of  selecting  from  English  papers  articles  that 
often  seriously  mislead.  For  example,  a  Boston  maga- 
zine a  year  or  two  ago  copied  a  long  article  from  the 
English  Journal  of  Horticulture,  telling  us  in  a  very 
patronizing  way  how  to  propagate  the  golden  tricolor- 
leaved  geraniums.  The  writer  laid  great  stress  on  having 
a  sharp  knife  and  cutting  the  slip  in  a  particular  manner, 
then  to  insert  it  in  silver  sand,  and  a  lot  of  other  non- 
sense that  any  boy  of  six  months'  practice  here  would 
have  known  was  absurd  ;  but,  above  all,  the  operation 
was  to  be  performed  in  July  !  He  might  have  got  the 
sharpest  knife  that  was  ever  made,  and  the  purest  silver 
sand  that  ever  lay  on  the  seashore,  but  he  would  have  ut- 
terly failed  in  our  climate,  if  he  attempted  the  work  in 
July.  This  is  only  one  of  scores  of  such  absurd  selec- 
tions as  we  see  yearly  in  some  of  our  horticultural  jour- 
nals. If  the  conductors  of  such  have  not  original  matter 
to  fill  up  with,  better  far  that  they  leave  their  pages  blank 
than  to  show  their  utter  ignorance  of  what  is  suitable  to 
our  climate. 


CHAPTER    XVH. 

HOW    PLANTS    AND    FLOWERS    ABE    GROWN. 

Many  of  my  readers  live  so  remote  from  our  great 
cities  and  towns,  that  "Flower  manufacturing,"  as  it  may 
be  termed,  is  something  by  them  unseen  and  even  un- 
heard of.  To  such  the  accompanying  sketches,  taken  in 
the  middle  of  the  month  of  December,  from  our  establish- 
ment in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  may  be  interesting  as  well  as 
instructive. 

Figure  31  represents  an  inside  section  of  a  propagating 
house.  This  has  a  propagating  bench  or  table  on  each 
side,  having  a  ledge  to  it,  and  is  covered  with  about  three 


HOW   FLOWERS   ARE   GROWN. 


103 


Fig.  31.— FIRST  STAGE.— CUTTINGS  OF  VEBBENA3. 


•••«!;  ffi'fra 
Fie;.  32.— SECOND  STAGE.— VEKBENAS  IN  POTS. 


104  PRACTICAL  FLOEICUI/TTTBE. 

inches  of  clean  sand.  The  engraving  shows  the  cuttings 
as  they  are  inserted  in  rows  in  the  sand.  The  space 
shown  is  about  9  square  feet,  in  which  are  set  about  1,000 
Verbena  cuttings.  These  are  taken  in  the  green  state 
from  the  old  plants,  cut  into  lengths  of  about  2  inches, 
and  inserted  about  half  their  length  in  the  sand.  They 
are  shaded  when  the  sun  is  hot,  and  freely  watered  every 
day  until  they  take  root,  which  will  be  in  about  8  days 
from  the  time  they  are  planted  in  the  sand.  The  proper 
temperature  for  the  sand  is  60°,  and  that  of  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  green-house  should  be  10°  lower.  The  sand 
on  the  bench  in  which  the  cuttings  are  placed  is  raised  to 
a  higher  temperature  than  the  air  of  the  green-house, 
either  by  a  smoke-flue  passing  under  the  bench  or  by 
pipes  containing  hot  water.  As  soon  as  the  cuttings  are 
rooted  they  are  planted  in  pots  21  |a  inches  in  diameter  by 
2'|  a  in  depth,  and  again  freely  watered  by  a  fine  rose 
watering-pot. 

Figure  32  shows  an  inside  section  of  a  green-house,  with 
the  plants  in  this  the  second  stage  of  growth.  These 
operations  are  continued  during  the  season,  from  Novem- 
ber to  May.  In  May  the  plants  are  ready  to  be  set  out  in 
the  open  ground.  Some  conception  of  the  vast  numbers 
grown  of  this  plant — the  Verbena — may  be  formed  when 
we  say  that  300,000  were  sent  out  from  this  establishment 
during  the  months  of  March,  April,  and  May  of  1873 ;  and 
when  it  is  known  that  there  are  many  hundreds,  great  and 
small,  of  florists'  establishments  in  the  suburbs  of  Xew 
York,  all  growing  more  or  less  of  this  popular  summer 
flowering  plant,  it  may  be  easily  conceived  that  many 
millions  are  planted  annually.  We  can  well  note  the  in- 
crease of  taste  in  the  culture  of  flowers  from  this  single 
plant  alone.  Twenty  years  ago,  when  we  grew  5,000 
Verbenas  one  year,  we  thought  we  would  overstock  the 
market ;  but  we  did  not,  and  the  vast  increase  that  has 
been  steadily  made  tends  to  no  such  result.  And  it  must 


HOW    FLOWEKS    ABE    GEOW2f. 


105 


not  be  forgotten  that  this  is  only  one  species  of  flower 
among  many  hundreds  grown.  Next  in  numbers  to  the 
Verbena  comes  the  Rose ;  of  these  perhaps  half  the  num- 
ber is  sold,  but  as  the  plant  is  more  valuable,  a  far  larger 
amount  in  money  is  realized.  Twenty  years  ago,  50,000 
roses  would  have  supplied  all  the  demand  for  New  York 
market ;  it  must  now  require  millions. 

Figure  33  shows  another  phase  of  green-house  culture — 
the  growing  of  plants  to  produce  cut  flowers  in  winter. 


Fig.  33. — POINSETTIA  PULCHEBBIMA. 


This  section  shows  a  mass  Poinsetfoa  pulcherrima,  as 
planted  in  one  of  the  green-houses.  Each  of  these 
tropical-looking  growths  is  about  one  foot  in  diameter, 
and  of  the  brightest  scarlet  that  it  is  possible  to  conceive ; 
these  are  not,  however,  exactly  flowers,  but  are  bracts  or 
outer  leaves  of  the  flower.  They  are  in  perfection  just  at 
the  holidays,  and  conduce  more  than  any  other  flower  to 
give  the  tables  of  our  hospitable  New  Yorkers  on  New 
Year's  Day  a  look  of  gorgeous  elegance.  In  our  green- 


106 


PRACTICAL   FLOKICULTUEE. 


houses  a  space  of  3,000  square  feet  is  devoted  to  this 
plant,  and  in  bright  sunshine  is  presently  a  blaze  oi 
scarlet  that  is  perfectly  dazzling. 

Figure  34  is  a  section  of  a  Rose  House,  where  the  Tea 
Roses  are  being  forced  for  their  buds  in  winter.  A  space 
of  6,000  square  feet  of  glass  is  devoted  to  this  depart- 
ment, producing  about  a  thousand  buds  daily.  The 
varieties  grown  are  very  few,  as  we  find  onlv  six  or  eight 


Fig.  34.— EOSES  IN  POTS. 

sorts  are  suitable  for  forcing.  We  name  the  kinds  in 
order  of  excellence  as  we  find  them— Safrano,  Isabella 
Sprunt,  Bon  Silene,  Duchess  de  Brabant,  Agrippina,  Le 
Phoenix.  These  embrace  saffron,  yellow,  straw,  pink,  car- 
mine, crimson,  and  rose  colors.  To  force  Roses  in  winter, 
the  plants  must  be  grown  in  pots  during  the  previous  sum- 
mer and  fall.  It  is  useless  to  lift  a  Rose  plant  from  the 
ground  in  the  fall  and  expect  it  to  flower  well  during  win- 
ter. 

Figure  35  represents  a  section  of  the  house  in  which  is 


HOW    FLOWEKS    AKE 


107 


grown  the  Double   White   Chinese  Primrose.       This  is 
the  most    prolific  of  all  winter-flowering   plants.      The 

.:-:,-\  \  -     -:""     N  u 


<T.  35. — DOUBLE  PBIMKOSES. 

green-house  in   which    we  grow  these  has    about   1,000 
square  feet  of  surface.     Each  plant  occupies  about  a 


square   foot  of    space  and   produces   not  less  than    500 
flowers  6n  each  plant.     In  fact  the  whole  green-house  is 


108  PBACTICAX   FLOBICULTUItE. 

one  continued  sheet  of  snowy  whiteness  from  November 
to  May.  It  is  perhaps  the  most  profitable  of  all  winter 
flowering  plants  grown  by  the  florist. 

Figure  36  is  a  section  of  Carnations  (or  Pinks,  as  they 
are  sometimes  called)  growing,  planted  out  on  one  of  the 
green-house  benches.  Of  late  years  this  has  become  one 
of  our  most  popular  winter  flowers,  and  perhaps  more 
space  is  devoted  to  it  than  to  any  other  flower.  Its  cul- 
tivation is  easy  and  simple,  and  for  that  reason  it  is  less 
profitable  here  perhaps  than  anything  else  grown.  The 
cuttings  are  treated  exactly  as  the  Verbenas,  already 
described.  As  the  plant  is  quite  hardy,  it  is  plant- 
ed out  from  the  green-houses  early  in  spring,  (at  the  sea- 
son we  plant  cabbages),  in  the  open  ground,  at  about  one 
foot  each  way.  The  flowers  are  not  allowed  to  develop 
during  the  summer,  but  the  buds  are  cut  off  as  they  appear 
— the  flowering  resources  being  husbanded  for  winter. 
In  October  they  are  lifted  and  planted  on  the  benches. 
Many  of  these  plants  produce  over  a  hundred  flowers. 
The  sorts  grown  are  very  few,  mainly  carmine  and  pure 
white.  The  Carnation,  however,  comprises  many  hun- 
dred varieties  ;  but  we  find  comparatively  few  flower  sufli- 
ciently  freely  in  winter  to  warrant  their  growth ;  though 
for  private  collections  a  score  of  sorts  might  be  grown  to 
represent  the  different  colors  and  markings. 


CHAPTER    XVHL 

PROPAGATION    OF    LILIES. 

The  increasing  interest  taken  in  the  Japan  and  other 
Lilies  renders  their  rapid  increase  a  matter  of  much  inter- 
est, not  only  to  the  commercial  florist,  but  to  the  amateur 
cultivator,  who  may  wish  to  increase  his  stock  of  some 


PROPAGATION    OF  LILIES.  109 

rare  or  valuable  variety,  and  finds  the  ordinary  mode  too 
slow.  In  most  species  they  do  not  increase  by  division, 
the  usual  method,  more  than  at  the  rate  of  doubling  an- 
nually. There  are  two  rapid  modes  of  propagation,  both 
simple  enough  to  be  practised  by  any  one,  even  without 
the  aid  of  green-house  or  frames,  although  in  the  mode  to 
which  we  will  first  allude,  the  aid  of  glass  will  save  some 
time  in  the  operation.  On  examination  of  the  bulb  of  any 
of  the  lilies,  it  will  be  seen  to  be  made  up  of  a  number  of 
scales,  varying  in  number  from  twenty  to  nearly  a  hund- 
red, according  to  the  size  of  the  bulb  ;  from  five  to  twen- 
ty of  these  may  be  broken  off  from  the  outer  circle  of 
scales  without  injury  to  the  bulb.  Now 
at  the  base  of  each  scale  is  a  latent  bud, 
which  under  certain  conditions  develops 
itself  as  a  small  bulb.  The  conditions 
are  simply  to  press  the  scale  down  up- 
right in  some  light,  sandy  compost,  so 
that  its  upper  part  is  level  with,  or  a  little 
below  the  surface  of  the  compost ;  give 
it  then  a  slight  watering,  and  in  from  one 
to  two  months  bulblets  will  be  formed-^  as 
shown  in  figure  37.  The  best  way  is  to 
use  shallow  boxes  for  the  purpose,  and  be- 
gin the  operation  about  the  first  of  Febru-  j\g.  37. SCALE  OF 

ary.     Keep  the  boxes  in  a  temperature  of  LILY- 

from  50°  to  60°,  either  in  the  green-house  or  dwelling- 
house,  for  there  is  no  occasion  for  direct  light,  and  the  bulb- 
lets  will  be  formed  so  that  the  boxes  may  be  set  out  in  the 
open  garden  in  May.  It  is  best  to  plunge  the  boxes  in 
the  soil,  undisturbed,  level  with  the  surface,  so  that  they 
will  have  greater  uniformity  of  moisture.  Treated  thus, 
the  scales  will  make  bulbs  of  the  size  of  crocus  by  fall.  It 
is  better  not  to  disturb  the  bulbs  in  the  fall,  but  merely 
cover  the  boxes,  on  the  approach  of  severe  weather,  with 
three  or  four  inches  of  rough  litter  or  leaves,  allowing 


110 


PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 


them  to  remain  thus  covered  until  spring.  In  spring,  if 
too  thick,  they  may  be  planted  separately,  and  by  fall  of 
the  second  year  will  make  flowering  bulbs. 

There  is  another  method  of  increasing  the  Lily,  which 
is   simpler   and    equally  expeditious.     On   lifting  up   in 

the  fall  an  old  plant 
that  has  bloomed,  it  will 
be  observed  that  the 
large  bulbs  are  formed 
below  the  roots  that  are 
thrown  out  from  the 
stem  at  the  surface  of  the 
ground ;  after  detaching 
this  mass  of  roots  from 
the  bulb,  an  examination 
will  show  that,  imbed- 
ded among  the  roots  of 
every  plant,  there  are 
from  six  to  twelve  small 
bulbs,  about  the  size  of 
hazel-nuts,  as  in  figure 
38,  in  which  fewer  bulbs 
are  shown  than  are  usu- 
ally produced.  Allow 
these  to  remain  attached 
to  the  roots,  and  plant 
the  whole  closely  packed 
together  in  rows  or 
beds,  as  desirable,  covering  up  on  the  approach  of 
winter,  as  directed  for  the  scales.  In  spring,  on  remov- 
ing the  covering,  the  young  bulbs  will  be  starting 
up  with  great  vigor,  some  of  them  being  of  sufficient 
strength  to  flower  the  first  season,  and  by  fall  making 
bulbs,  nearly  all  of  which  will  be  of  sufficient  size  to 
flower.  This  method  of  increasing  the  Lily  is  practised 
by  our  cultivators,  but  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  it  cannot 


Fig.  33.— LILT  BULB  WITH  BULBLET3. 


PROPAGATION   OF   LILIES. 


Ill 


be  iu  use  in  Europe,  else  there  would  be  no  necessity  of 
keeping  the  bulbs  of  the  Japan  Lilies  at  the  rates  they 
have  been  held  for  the  past  ten  years,  as  by  this  method 
they  can  be  as  profitably  grown  as  Tuberoses,  Hyacinths, 
or  Tulips,  and  sold  at  the  same  rates. 

The  subjoined  is  a  list  of  Lilies  in  the  collection  of  an 
amateur,  P.  Hanson,  Esq.,  Brooklyn,  L.  L,  who  has,  per- 
haps, the  largest  collection  possessed  by  any  one  in  the 
United  States.  The  names  of  only  the  most  striking  vari- 
eties are  given,  although  the  collection  numbers  over  150 
sorts,  if  the  sub-varieties  are  included. 


Liliuru  auratum. 
"      splendidum. 
"      Brownii. 
"      bulbiferum. 

"         hativum. 
"      Buschianam. 
"      Camschatcense. 
"  "          Sarana. 

"      Canadense. 
"      rubrum. 
44      candidum. 

44        punctatum. 

"        speciosum. 

44        spicatum. 
"      Catesbsei. 
41      Carniolicum. 
"      Chalcedonicum. 
44      colchicum  (Szowitzianum). 
44      concolor. 
44      cordifolium. 
44      Coridion. 
"      corruscans. 
"      croceum. 
44      auratiacum  major. 
"          minor. 
44      eximium  verum. 
"      formosum.  Versch. 
44      fulgens  atrosanguineum. 
"  "        incomparable. 

44      giganteuin. 
44      lancifolium  album. 

44       Melpomene. 


Lilium  lancifolium  nanum. 

"        punctatum. 

"        roseum. 

"        rubrum. 
"      longiflornm. 
"  "        foliis  variegatis. 

"  "        Lin-kin. 

44      Martagon. 
44  "       album. 

44  "  "     punctatum, 

44  "        ek-gaus. 

44  "        purpureum. 

"        "        flore  plena. 
41  "        "       striatum. 

44       superbum. 
44      monadelphum. 
41      Neilgherieuse. 
41      Pennsylvanicam. 
44      pendulum. 
44      peregrinum. 
44      Philadelphicum. 
44      pomponium. 
'4      pubescens. 
41      pulchellum. 
44      pumilum. 
41      punicenm. 
41      pyrenaicum. 
14      sinicum. 
44      spectabile. 
14      staminosum. 
44      superbum. 
44  '4    Carolin'uiii-a. 


112 


PBACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 


LUimn  superbum  luteum. 

Lilium  umbellatnm  cruentnm. 

"         pyramidale. 

" 

"    Groom's  Hybrid. 

"          rubrum. 

" 

"    Hendersonii. 

"         splendidum. 

" 

"    rnaculatum. 

Sibiricum  splendens. 

" 

"    Princess  of  Wales 

Thompsonianum. 

" 

"    splendidum. 

Thunbergianum. 

" 

"    ThorbnmiL 

"    aureum. 

" 

tigrinum. 

"    pictum. 

M 

"        angustifolium. 

"    variegatum. 

" 

"       erectum. 

Loddigesianum. 

" 

"       foliis  variegatis.. 

"      latifolium. 

" 

"       fl.  pleno. 

"      pinifolium. 

*• 

"        Japonicum. 

"      sanguineum. 

" 

"       laciniatum. 

"      venustum. 

" 

"       praecox. 

"      bicolor. 

M 

volubile. 

"      umbellatum. 

" 

Wallichianum. 

M            "    citriuum. 

It 

Tbunbergianum  cupreum. 

CHAPTER  XV. 


CULTURE    OF    THE    ROSE. 

In  the  limited  space  that  can  be  afforded  to  Roses  in  the 
present  work,  the  account  must  of  necessity  be  condensed. 
Those  who  wish  fuller  details  are  referred  to  works  especial- 
ly devoted  to  Rose  culture.  Amongst  the  writers  on  the 
Rose,  are  Buist,  Parsons,  and  Parkman,  practical  horti- 
culturists, all  of  whom  have  treated  the  subject  in  a  clear 
and  comprehensive  manner.  A  botanical  classification  of 
varieties  would  be  useless  for  our  present  purpose,  but  we 
will  endeavor  to  make  our  readers  comprehend  the  lead- 
ing  features  of  the  Garden  Classification  of  the  Rose. 
Roses  may  be  classified  under  three  general  heads : 

First. — Those  that  bloom  only  once  in  the  season,  em- 
bracing the  Hybrid  China,  Provence,  Sweet  and  Austrian 


CULTURE   OF  THE  KOSE.  113 

Briers,  most  of  the  Mosses,  and  all  climbing  varieties  that 
are  hardy  in  the  latitude  of  New  York. 

Second. — The  Hybrid  Perpetuals,  or  Remontants.  This 
class  is  of  comparatively  recent  origin,  and  was  obtained 
by  hybridizing  the  Provence  and  Damask  varieties  with 
the  Ever-blooming  or  China.  They  possess  the  rough  foli- 
age and  spiny  stems  of  the  former,  with,  to  some  extent, 
the  intermittent  blooming  qualities  of  the  latter.  This  is 
by  far  the  most  interesting  class  of  Roses,  and  embraces 
many  hundred  varieties,  ranging  through  all  the  interme- 
diate shadings  from  purest  white  to  darkest  crimson. 
They  combine  the  hardy,  robust  habit  of  the  Provence 
with -its  unsurpassed  odor,  but  unfortunately  they  do  not 
possess  the  ever-blooming  qualities  of  the  China.  The  term 
"perpetual,"  therefore,  is  a  complete  misnomer,  for  un- 
less the  flowers  are  cut  off  as  they  develop,  and  the  plant 
kept  growing  freely,  but  little  bloom  is  ever  given,  except 
in  the  regular  season  of  Rose  flowering,  (here  in  June), 
and  again  to  some  extent  in  the  fall  They,  like  the  pre- 
ceding class,  are  all  hardy  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York. 

Third. — The  Monthly  or  Ever-blooming  class,  which  is 
clearly  distinguished  from  both  the  preceding  by  its  more 
delicate  and  shining  leaves  and  stems.  It  comprises  at 
least  four  sub-classes,  namely,  the  Noisette,  Tea,  Bengal, 
and  Bourbon.  The  Noisettes  are  all  of  rampant  growth, 
usually  flowering  in  clusters,  and  in  the  Southern  States, 
where  they  are  uninjured  by  winter,  are,  perhaps,  the 
most  valuable  of  all  Roses ;  a  good  type  of  this  class  is 
seen  in  the  Lamarque  (white.)  The  Tea  varieties  are 
characterized  by  slender  growth,  great  delicacy  of  color- 
ing, and  the  rich  tea  fragrance  from  which  the  class 
derives  its  name.  Safrano  (orange  yellow)  may  be 
taken  as  a  type  of  these.  The  Bengal  class  is  not  quite 
so  numerous  or  varied  in  color,  but  is  now  so  inter, 
mixed  with  the  Bourbon  and  Tea,  that  it  is  difficult 


114  PRACTICAL  FLOEICdLTUEK. 

to  tell  where  to  place  many  of  its  varieties ;  a  true  type 
of  this  class  is  the  well-known  Agrippina,  (crimson).  The 
Bourbon  class  is  an  extensive  one,  coming  nearer  to  the 
Hybrid  Perpetual  in  its  large  and  double  flowers  and 
more  rugged  growth,  and  to  the  Bengal  in  the  absence 
of  all  yellow  or  orange  shade  of  color  in  its  flowers.  An 
old  and  unsurpassed  type  of  this  class  is  the  well-known 
Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison,  (blush). 

All  of  this  class  are  tender,  and  unless  in  situations  partic- 
ularly favored  by  a  dry  soil,  and  well  sheltered,  are  either 
killed  outright,  or  cut  down  to  the  roots  by  the  frosts 
in  winter  almost  everywhere  in  the  Northern  States. 
Every  now  and  then  we  hear  of  new  varieties  of  this  class, 
which  are  represented  to  be  hardy,  but  I  would  say  to 
amateur  readers,  and  to  gardeners  whose  experience  in 
such  things  has  not  been  sufficient  to  guide  them,  that  in 
all  such  cases  the  vender  either  is  ignorant  of  what  he 
says,  or  knows  that  his  representations  are  false.  There 
is  no  more  likelihood  of  our  getting  a  Noisette,  Tea,  Ben- 
gal, or  Bourbon  Rose  to  prove  generally  hardy  in  lati- 
tudes where  the  thermometer  runs  down  below  zero,  than 
there  is  to  have  hardy  Camellias  or  Chinese  Azaleas.  A 
few  years  ago,  a  Western  firm  had  the  impudence  to 
get  up  a  stock  of  the  old  Noisette  Rose,  Solfaterre,  named 
it  "  Augusta,"  and  representing  it  as  a  "  Yellow  Ever- 
blooming,  hardy  "  variety,  sold  some  thousands  of  it  at  65 
each.  They  seem  to  have  sold  their  reputation  at  the 
eame  time,  however,  for  after  perpetrating  the  swindle, 
they  were  not  afterwards  heard  of. 

It  is  with  hesitation  that  we  give  a  list  of  a  few  varieties 
of  each  class,  as  to  name  only  one  out  of  every  score  of 
varieties  seems  to  be  unfair  and  invidious  towards  those 
not  given,  which,  perhaps,  have  claims  surpassing  those 
we  thus  distinguish.  But  to  describe  the  different  colors 
and  characteristics  of  each  class  it  becomes  necessary. 


CULTURE  OF  THE  ROSE. 
CLASS  I. 


115 


(Embracing  Provence  (P.),  Hybrid  China  (H.  C.),  and  Damask  (D.) 

Color. 

Dove  color,  shaded  crimson. 
Reddish  crimson,  extra  fine. 
Deep  blush. 
Deep  pink,  cut  leaved. 
Dark  purple,  very  full. 
Purple,  speckled  crimson. 
White,  finely  cupped  form. 
Light  pink,  strong  grower. 
Bright  deep  rose. 
Blush. 

Deep  crimson,  very  fine  and  full 
Crimson  purple. 
Velvet  crimson. 
Crimson,  shaded  violet. 
Rose,  spotted  carmine. 
Dark,  purplish  crimson. 
Brilliant  carmine. 
Lilac,  or  dove  color. 
Pure  white,  free. 
Dark,  velvet  crimson. 
Brilliant  scarlet  crimson. 
Rose,  shaded  crimson. 
Pure  white* 
White,  striped  rose. 
White,  purple  striped. 
Semi-double,  striped  red  and  white. 
Purplish  crimson. 

Mosses. 

Alice  Leroy Lilac  shade  of  rose. 

Blanche Clear  white,  very  fragrant. 

Celina Brilliant  crimson,  very  mossy. 

Comtesse  de  Muvonais Blush,  strong  grower. 

Cristata Buds  crested,  color  lig-ht  carmine. 

Damask  Moss Light  crimson,  very  fine. 

Etna Crimson,  fine  cupped  form. 

Laneii Deep  pink,  full  double. 

Luxembourg Crimson,  purple  shaded. 

Perpetual  White  or  4  Seasons.. Blush  white,  semi-double,  fall  flowering 

Princcssc  Adelaide Deep  rose,  strong  grower. 

jnique  de  Province White,  back  of  petals  red  before  opening 

White  Bath Pure  white,  very  mossy. 

Briers. 

Harrisonii Pale  yellow,  semi-double. 

Aebe's  Lip White,  tinted  carmine. 

Maiden's  Blush Large,  blush  colored,  very  fragrant 


Name. 
Adonis  

Sub  Class. 
H.  C. 

Alphonse  Maille  
Amarille. 

P. 
p 

Apifolia  

P. 

Baron  Cuvier 

H    C 

Berlese  

P. 
H    C 

Blairii  

H.  C. 

Carmin  Royal  

D. 

Carnea      .    ... 

II    C 

De  Candolle  

H.   C. 

Elise  Vaiart  

D 

Fulgens  

H.   C. 

Gen.  Fov  

H    C. 

Gazelle  

H.   C. 

La  Ne°resse  

D 

La  Superbe  

D. 

La  Touterelle  
Madam  Plantier.  

H.   C. 
H.  C. 

Madam  Mortier  
Ne  Plus  Ultra  

H.  C. 
H    C. 

Prince  Caroline  
Unique  

H.   C. 
p 

Unique  Panachee  
Village  Maid  

P. 
p 

York  and  Lancaster  
Warratah... 

P. 
D. 

116  PBACTICAL  FLORICULTUBK. 

Persian  Yellow Deep  golden  yellow. 

Victoria Salmon,  centre  buff 

StanwelL Blush  white,  strong  grower. 

William  4th. White,  vigorous  grower. 

Yellow  Cabbage Deep  yellow,  very  donble. 

Climbing  Roses. 

Baltimore  Belle. Blush  white,  blooming  in  large  cluster*. 

Era  Conine. Deep  blush,  very  donble. 

Gem  of  the  Prairies  (Burgess' ).Large,  full;  carmine,  blotched  white. 

Laura  Devoust Deep  rose,  immense  truss. 

Mrs.  Horey. French  white,  large  and  fine. 

Madam  D'  Arblay. Creamy  white,  splendid. 

Pallida Pale  pink,  full  and  vigorous  grower. 

Ruga Blush,  exceedingly  fragrant. 

Busseliana Crimson,  shading  to  pink. 

Queen  of  the  Prairies Deep  rose,  striped  white. 

Superba Flesh  color,  clusters  immense. 

The  Garland Blush,  shading  to  white. 

CLASS  II.— Hybrid  Perpetual  or  Remontant  Roses. 

Angnste  Mie. Pale  shade  of  rose,  fall  and  cup-shaped. 

Baronne  Prerost .,... .Bright  rose,  yery  double,  extra  fine. 

Baronne  De  Maynard Pure  white. 

Blanche  Vibert. Pure  white,  delicate  grower. 

Beauty  of  Waltham Crimson  scarlet 

Caroline  de  Sansal Blush  pink  centre,free,summer  blooming 

Cardinal  Patrizri Brilliant  crimson. 

Clementine  DnvaL Dwarf  habit,  clear  rose  color. 

Comte  de  Paris Light  crimson,  lilac  shade. 

Comtesse  DuchateL Deep  carmine,  splendid. 

Eugene  Appert Scarlet  crimson. 

G&int  des  Bataffles Beddish  crimson,  splendid. 

General  Washington Scarlet  crimson,  very  full,  free. 

General  Forey Clear  carmine  red. 

General  Jacqueminot Purplish  crimson,  most  brilliant. 

General  Lane Dark  rose. 

Imperatrice  Josephine Light  rose,  very  double. 

Jules  Margottin. Bright  scarlet  crimson. 

Joseph  Vernot Light  rose  color. 

John  Hopper Deep  shade  of  pink. 

La  B«ine Satin  rose,  extra  large. 

Louis  Verger Carmine  crimson,  splendid. 

Louis  Odier Bright  salmon  rose,  fine  form. 

Le  Lion  des  Combats .Curious  shade  of  purple. 

Mrs.  Reynolds Cupped  carmine,  extra  fine. 


CU1TUBB   OF  THE   ROSE.  117 

Madame  de  Willermots Mauve  shade  of  carmine. 

Madame  Victor  Verdier Carmine,  cupped. 

Madame  C.  D'Islay Light  rosy  blush. 

Madame  Laffay Crimson,  exceedingly  fragrant 

Madame  Trotter Bright  pink,  flowering  in  cluster*. 

Madame  Rivers Silvery  blush,  splendid  form. 

Mrs.  Charles  Wood. Brilliant  red,  changing  to  rose. 

Oderic  Vitalle Delicate  rose,  silvery  shading. 

Paeonia Reddish  crimson,  very  profuse  bloomer. 

Purple  of  Orleans Purplish  violet. 

Pius  9th Crimson  violet. 

Princesse  Mathilde Deep  blush. 

Queen  Victoria Pale  flesh  color,  tinted  carmine. 

Reine  des  Violettes Dark  purplish  violet 

Sydonie Light  blush. 

Souvenir  de  Count  Cavour Dark,  glossy  crimson. 

Triomphe  de  1'Exposition Crimson  red,  extra  fine. 

William  Penn Light  crimson,  finely  cupped. 

Wm.  Griffith Deep  rose,  splendid  form. 

Wm.  Jess Light  crimson,  lilac  tinge. 

Yolande  D'Arragon Blush,  free  summer  bloomer. 

Zelpha White,  tinged  blush. 

Zoe Clear  scarlet  crimson,  extra  fine. 

CLASS  III.— Noisette. 

Aim6  Vibert Clear  white,  fine  form. 

America Straw  color,  shaded  salmon. 

Belle  dc  Bordeaux Rose,  violet  shaded. 

Chromatella Deep  yellow,  very  tender. 

Caroline  de  Mariuesse Blush  white,  immense  clusters. 

Gloire  de  Dijon Blush  white,  buff  centre. 

Herbemont's  Cluster Deep  carmine,  semi-double. 

James  Sprunt. Deep  crimson.  [extra. 

Lamaraque Large,  double ;  white,  yellowish  centra, 

Minette Light  crimson,  very  double, large  clusters. 

Madame  Deslongchamps Pare  white. 

Marshal  Niel Large  and  full,  deep  yellow,  extra. 

Ophir. Salmon,  shaded  orange;  distinct 

Oteri Orange,  shaded  pink ;  dwarf.       [there. 

Rosamond Bright  crimson,  semi-double,  yellow  an 

Smithii Pure  yellow,  slender  grower. 

Susanna Yellowish  white,  strong  grower. 

Souvenir  d'Anscleme. Deep  carmine,  vigorous  grower. 

Sarmentosa Flesh  color,  large,  full,  very  fine, 

Solfaterre Deep  straw  color,  large,  extra  fine. 

Sir  Walter  Scott Dark  purple,  strong  grower. 

Setlna Clear  pink,  large  and  ML 


118  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

Washington Pure  white,  semi-double,  large  cluster* 

Triumphant Large,  double  rose,  vigorous. 

Well's  Pink Rich  full  clusters  of  carmine  rose. 

Zobede Crimson  and  purple  shaded. 

Bourbon. 

Bosanquet Rich  blush,  free  grower  s,nd  bloomer. 

Bouquet  de  Flore Deep  carmine,  large  and  fragrant. 

Cardinal  Fesch Deep  crimson  purple. 

Crimson  Globe Purplish  crimson,  strong  grower. 

De  Tourville Purplish  carmine,  very  fine. 

Due  de  Chart-res Large,  double ;   crimson. 

Edouard  Defosses Bright  rose,  cup-shaped. 

George  Cuvier Rosy  carmine,  splendid  form. 

Glory  of  Algiers Bright  crimson. 

Henri  Plantier Deep  pink,  splendid  shape. 

Henry  Clay Pale  blush. 

Hermosa Light  rose,  one  of  the  most  popular. 

Jules  Farfait Rosy  purple,  fine  form,  extra. 

Jupiter Rich  shade  of  crimson  violet. 

Leveson  Gower Salmon  rose,  very  large  and  double. 

Madam  Neuman Purplish  crimson. 

Paul  Joseph Splendid  crimson,  but  weak  grower. 

Phoenix Deep  rose,  with  fragrance  of  Damask. 

Pierre  de  St.  Cyr Pale  pink,  strong  grower. 

Proserpine Light  carmine,  very  fragrant. 

Psyche Light  rose,  very  double,  excellent. 

Queen  of  Bourbons Rich  blush,  very  dwarf  habit. 

Splendens Splendid  crimson,  vigorous. 

Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison Flesh  color,  very  double,  splendid,  [best- 

Sombriel Blush  white,  strong  grower,  one  of  the 

Vicomte  de  Cassy Cherry  red,  vigorous  grower. 

Vulcan Deep  shade  of  carmine. 

Tea. 

Adam Rich  rose,  salmon  shaded,  extra. 

Alphonsine Deep  pink,  fine  form. 

Aurora Yellow,  shaded  rose. 

Bella Pure  white,  tea-scented. 

Belle  Allemande Blush,  tinted  rose. 

Buret Large;  deep  pink. 

Bon  Silene Large;  rich  pink. 

Camellia  Blanche Pure  white. 

Cortas Blush,  mottled  pink. 

Caroline Pale  rose,  deep  carmine  centre. 

Chas.  Reybaud Salmon,  tinted  lilac. 

Chrysocome Yellow,  shaded  orange. 


CULTURE    OF   THE   ROSE.  119 

Clara  Sylvain Pure  white,  extra  fine. 

De voniensis Blush ;  magnolia  fragrance ;  delicaU. 

Fleur  de  Cygnes French  white,  profuse  bloomer. 

Isabella  Sprunt Clear  canary  yellow. 

Louise  de  Savoy. Deep  yellow,  delicate. 

Le  Pactole Canary  yellow. 

Melville Pinkish  lilac. 

Marie  de  Ban Rich  blush. 

Madame  Maurin Pure  white. 

Madame  Bravy Globular,  white. 

Madame  Falcot Orange  yellow,  very  free. 

Nina Large ;  pinkish  violet. 

Olympe  Fraguip .Sulphur  yellow. 

Pauline  Labonte Light  blush. 

Rubens Yellowish  blush. 

Souvenir  d'un  Ami Light  lilac. 

Soette French  white. 

Safrano Orange. yellow. 

WhiteTea 

Bengal. 

Appoline Cupped  carmine. 

Agrippina Bright  crimson. 

Bourbon  Queen Rich  blush. 

Beau  Carmine Light  crimson. 

Bosanquet Blush  white. 

Comte  Bobinsky , Rich  carmine. 

Ct.  De  Rohan Purplish  red. 

Cramoise  Superior Purplish  crimson. 

Douglas Rich  violet. 

Louis  Philippe Light  crimson. 

Leondis Rosy  red. 

Madame  Morel Cream  color,  centre  pink. 

Madame  Rohan Pure  white. 

Napoleon Blush,  extra  large. 

Romeo Dark  reddish-crimson. 

Sully Pale  rose,  tinted  salmon. 

Virginale Rose  and  crimson. 

Vesuvius Brilliant  crimson. 

PROPAGATION  AND   CULTURE. 

The  soil  best  suited  to  the  Rose  is  a  rather  stiff  loa«3, 
although  it  is  by  no  means  particular  about  soils,  and  is 
often  seen  growing  in  nearly  equal  luxuriance  in  those 
widely  different ;  in  stiff  clayey  loam,  however,  flowers 


120  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

of  more  substance  and  depth  of  coloring  will  be  produced 
than  in  that  of  a  light  or  sandy  character. 

The  propagation  of  the  Rose  is  a  matter  of  much 
interest,  not  only  to  the  professional  florist  but  to  the 
amateur  who  wishes  to  increase  his  plants.  The  method 
in  use  by  florists  in  this  country  is  usually  by  cuttings, 
directions  for  which  will  be  found  among  the  general  in- 
structions given  under  the  head  of  "  Propagation  of  Plants 
by  Cuttings." 

Roses  from  ripened  or  hard  wood  may  be  propagated, 
the  operation  being  performed  at  any  time  from  October 
to  January.  The  cuttings  are  usually  made  with  three  or 
four  eyes,  just  after  the  wood  is  ripened  enough  to  show 
the  development  of  the  buds  at  the  axil  of  the  leaf.  The 
method  we  have  most  successfully  practiced  is  to  place 
cuttings  in  cold  frames,  such  as  are  formed  on  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  and  are  used  for  wintering  cabbage,  and 
cauliflower,  planting  the  cuttings  exactly  as  we  would  do 
those  plants,  and  subjecting  them  to  the  same  winter  treat- 
ment of  airing,  yet  keeping  them  as  free  from  severe 
freezing  as  can  be  done  during  winter.  Rose  cuttings 
placed  in  such  frames  about  the  end  of  October  will  be 
rooted  and  fit  to  pot  in  March.  Those  not  having  the 
convenience  of  frames  may  do  it  equally  well  with  the 
protection  of  the  ordinary  garden  hand  glass.  In  either 
case  it  is  necessary  that  the  soil  be  thoroughly  drained  so 
that  no  water  stand  on  it  in  winter.  If  the  soil  in  which 
they  are  placed  is  not  naturally  sandy,  it  had  better  be 
prepared  in  about  equal  proportions  of  sand,  leaf  mould, 
and  loam,  well  mixed  together.  The  cuttings  should  be 
inserted  quite  thickly,  say  from  l\ ,  to  1  inch  apart,  and 
at  distances  of  about  3  inches  between  the  rows.  This 
soace  is  sufficient  to  allow  the  soil  to  be  firmly  pressed 
about  the  cuttings,  as  the  process  of  placing  them  goes 
on.  One  thorough  watering,  when  put  in  to  settle  the  soil 
closely  around  them,  will  usually  be  all  that  is  necessary 


CULTURE    OF   THE    ROSE. 


121 


until  they  begin  to  root  in  spring.  Cuttings  planted  ra 
this  manner  in  October  or  November,  and  kept  merely 
from  freezing  during  winter,  will  be  rooted  in  March,  pre- 
senting the  appearance  shown  in  figure  39. 

The  success  much  depends  on  the  varieties  and  fit  con- 
dition of  the  cuttings, 
for  we  find  that  in  a 
collection  of  50  sorts, 
every  cutting  of  some 
varieties  will  root,  while 
in  others  we  fail  to  get ' 
more  than  5  per  cent. 
But  if  properly  treated 
it  may  be  safe  to  ex- 
pect 50  per  cent  of 
rooted  cuttings  as  an 
average.  As  soon  as,  or 
even  before,  they  show 
the  extent  of  root  in- 
dicated in  the  engrav- 
ing, they  should  be  pot- 
ted in  two-inch  pots, 
shaded  and  watered  for 
a  few  days  and  gradu- 
ally hardened  off  by  ex-  Fig.  39.— CUTTING  OF  OLD  WOOD. 
posing  them  to  the  air,  when  they  will  be  sufficiently 
rooted  to  plant  in  the  open  ground  in  April  or  May.  Some 
propagators  plant  them  at  once  from  the  cutting  bed  to 
the  open  ground,  but  this  is  attended  with  risk,  for  unless 
the  weather  is  continuously  favorable  for  two  or  three 
days  one-half  of  them  may  be  lost.  We  have  always 
found  that  placing  them  in  pots  and  keeping  them  under 
the  protection  of  sashes  for  a  few  weeks  well  repaid  the 
extra  labor.  Nearly  all  deciduous  shrubs  may  be  propa- 
gated in  this  manner,  most  of  them  even  more  successfully 
than  the  Rose. 


122  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

The  method  best  suited  to  the  amateur  or  to  those  who 
have  no  propagating  structures,  is  by  layering. 

This  is  done  as  shown  in  figure  40.  It  will  be  observed 
that  the  cut  is  made  on  the  upper  part  of  the  shoot ;  the 
advantage  of  this  is,  that  when  the  layer  is  detached  from 
the  parent  plant,  the  tongue  of  the  layer,  or  the  part  from 
which  the  roots  are  emitted,  is  less  likely  to  be  broken  off 
than  if  the  cut  is  made  under  or  on  the  side.  Layers  of 
Roses  may  be  made  at  any  time  from  the  middle  of  June  to 
the  middle  of  September,  always  using  shoots  of  the  young 


Fig.  40. — LAYERING  THE  BOSE. 

growth — that  is,  a  growth  of  3  or  4  weeks  old,  or  such  as 
are.not  so  much  ripened  as  to  drop  the  leaves ;  or,  in  other 
words,  the  cut  should  always  be  made  at  that  part  of  the 
shoot  where  there  are  as  green  and  healthy  leaves  below 
as  above  the  cut.  This  condition  of  the  shoot  is  very  im- 
portant, in  order  to  produce  a  well-rooted  layer.  By  cut- 
ting lower  down  in  the  harder-ripened  wood,  roots  will  be 
produced,  but  the  layers  will  be  very  inferior  to  those  cut 
at  about  the  point  named.  The  same  rule  applies  to  the 
layering  of  shrubs  of  all  kinds. 

Another  mode  of  layering  not  in  general  use  is,  to  place 
the  layer  where  the  incision  is  made,  in  a  3  or  4-inch  pot, 
sinking  the  pot  in  the  ground  to  the  level  of  the  rim ;  all 
the  roots  being  confined  in  the  pot,  when  the  layer  is  lifted 
no  check  is  given^-  as  there  is  no  injury  done  to  the  small 
fibers.  Layers  so  made  may  be  planted  out  in  the  fall, 
and  if  a  little  mulching  is  given  around  the  roots,  not  one 
plant  in  a  hundred  will  fail ;  while  if  the  layering  is  done 


CULTURE    OP   THE   ROSE.  123 

in  the  usual  way,  without  pots,  a  heavy  percentage  is 
almost  certain  to  be  lost  during  the  winter.  To  the  florist 
without  proper  means  of  propagation,  this  method  of 
layering  Roses  in  pots  will  be  found  very  advantageous, 
as  every  layer  so  made  will  make  an  excellent  flowering- 
plant  by  spring,  if  kept  in  a  green-house  or  frame  during  the 
winter,  and  will  prove  nearly  as  valuable  to  the  purchaser 
as  large  one-year-old  plants  would.  Roses  are  also  prop- 
agated by  budding  in  the  usual  way.  Budding,  like  layer- 
ing, may  be  performed  on  the  Rose  at  any  time  during  the 
season  from  June  to  September,  although  it  is  best  to  per- 
form it  either  so  early,  say  before  the  middle  of  July,  that 
the  buds  will  start  and  the  shoots  get  time  to  ripen  before 
frost,  or  so  late,  from  the  end  of  August  to  the  1st  of  Oc- 
tober, that  the  buds  will  remain  dormant  until  spring. 

That  the  operation  may  be  successful,  it  is  essential 
that  the  stock  be  in  thrifty  growth,  so  that  the  bark  will 
freely  part  from  the  stem,  and,  also,  that  the  bud  to  be 
inserted  be  taken  from  a  healthy-growing  plant,  the  eye 
or  bud  at  the  axil  of  the  leaf  being  well  developed. 
There  is  quite  a  diversity  of  opinion  among  different 
operators  whether  the  thin  piece  of  wood  should  be  re- 
moved from  the  bud  before  insertion.  We  have  experi- 
mented extensively  in  both  ways,  and  found  but  little 
difference  in  our  success,  and  have  finally  settled  down  to 
the  practice  that  if  the  bud  is  young  and  unripened,  the 
wood  be  allowed  to  remain ;  if  well  ripened,  it  is  taken 
out.  In  tying,  we  prefer  the  soft  cotton  used  for  lamp- 
wick  in  preference  to  any  other  material,  as  it  expands 
with  the  growth  of  the  shoot,  doing  away  with  the  neces- 
sity of  slacking  the  tie  to  prevent  it  from  cutting  the  bark. 

MONTHLY    ROSES — HOW   TO   PRESERVE   DURING  WINTER. 

The  question  is  asked  me  many  hundred  times  every 
season,  "What  kind  of  Roses  shall  I  plant  ?"  I  invaria- 
bly recommend  the  "  Monthly,"  rather  than  the  so-called 


124  PRACTICAL    FLORICfLTURK. 

" Perpetual"  varieties,  which,  with  very  fe\v  exceptions, 
sustain  their  "  Perpetual  "  character  by  only  once  flower- 
ing freely,  in  June,  with  occasionally  a  few  scattering 
flowers  throughout  the  summer  and  fall.  While  with  the 
monthly  varieties,  we  have  not  only  a  monthly,  but  an 
almost 'daily  supply  of  flowers,  embracing  far  more  vari- 
ety of  color,  from  June  till  November.  There  is  no  plant 
sold,  which,  for  the  first  season,  at  least,  is  so  unsatisfac- 
tory to  the  buyer  as  the  Perpetual  Rose ;  the  purchaser 
in  good  faith  believes  that  its  name  indicates  a  perpetual 
flowering  character,  and  is  woefully  disappointed  to  find 
that  the  flowers  or  flower  buds  which  are  on  it  when  pur- 
chased are  nearly  the  last  that  are  seen  on  it  for  that  sea- 
son. True,  its  entirely  hardy  nature,  sustaining  it  un- 
scathed through  the  winter,  compensates  for  the  first 
year's  disappointment  by  a  gorgeous  bloom  in  June,  but 
this  is  all;  for  the  remainder  of  the  season  there  is 
little  ornamental  about  it.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Monthly  Rose,  the  original  types  of  which  are  natives  of 
China,  are  evergreen  and  ever-blooming,  if  not  arrested 
by  severe  frosts,  for  in  the  milder  latitudes  of  our  South- 
ern States,  they  grow  and  bloom  without  cessation  the 
entire  season,  unless,  perhaps,  for  a  month  or  two  in  ex- 
tremely dry  and  hot  weather  in  summer.  But  now  comes 
the  question,  Are  these  Monthly  Roses  hardy  in  our 
Northern  States  ?  They  are  certainly  not  so  with  ordinary 
treatment,  but  I  will  briefly  describe  a  very  simple  proc- 
ess by  which  they  can  be  preserved  in  as  good  condition 
during  winter  as  the  hardiest  Perpetual  or  Prairie  Rose. 
The  success  of  the  plan,  however,  depends  greatly  on  the 
condition  of  the  soil  in  which  they  are  growing.  If  it  is 
naturally  dry,  having  a  gravelly  or  sandy  subsoil,  it  is 
certain  to  succeed ;  but  if  wet  and  undrained,  they  can- 
not be  saved  by  this  tor  any  other  process.  The  operation 
is  to  remove  three  or  four  inches  of  soil  from  one  side  of 
the  plant  close  up  to  the  roots,  and  of  a  length  and  width 


CULTURE    OF   THE    EOSE. 


125 


Fig.  41. — DIGGING  THE  TRENCH. 


proportioned  to  the  size  of  the  bush,  as  represented  by 

figure  41.  The  plant  is  next  bent  down  into  the  excava- 
tion, and  held  in  place  by  a 
few  pegs,  as  shown  in  figure 
42.  It  is  then  covered  en- 
tirely, root  and  branches,  by 
sods,  placed  grassy  side  up- 
wards, and  presents,  when 
finished,  a  little  hillock,  in 
appearance  like  figure  43. 
There  is  one  very  important  condition  to  success,  which 

is,  the  time  at  which  it  is  done.     Few  of  our  rose  ama- 

teurs have  any  idea  of  the  amount  of  freezing  that  the 

most  tender  Tea  Rose  even,  will  sustain  without  injury, 

and  would,  in  consequence, 

be  apt  to  hurry  to  put  their 

plants   under    their   winter 

covering  on  the  appearance 

of  the  first   slight   frost   in 

October.     This  would  most 

'  .    i  -  x    ,        ,  Fig.  42.—  PEGGED  DOWN. 

certainly    prove    fatal,    by 

causing  them  to  rot  during  the  still  warm  autumn 
weather.  We  usually  have  frost  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try in  October  to  injure  most  green-house  plants  that  are 
exposed.  Yet  I  have  never  seen  it  severe  enough  to  in- 
jure Roses  of  any  kind  be- 
fore the  middle  of  December, 
to  which  time  the  covering 
up  should  be  delayed.  Cov- 
ering the  ground,  however, 
around  the  bushes  with  three 
or  four  inches  of  straw  or 

Fig.  43.-COVERED   FOR   WINTER. 


from  being  frozen,  should  be  done  a  month  eai'lier  ;  this  little 
precaution  will  allow  of  excavation  at  the  time  of  covering 
with  the  sod.  The  time  here  given  for  the  operation  (the 


126  PEACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

middle  of  December)  is  that  best  suited  for  the  latitude  of 
New  York ;  sections  to  the  north  or  south  must  be  varied 
accordingly.  Perhaps  the  best  rule  that  can  be  given  is, 
to  delay  the  operation  until  the  ground  can  no  longer  be 
plowed  or  dug  with  the  spade.  The  covering  of  sod  may  be 
removed  as  soon  as  vegetation  fairly  starts  in  spring — for 
this  section,  say  the  middle  of  April — and  the  plants  raised 
to  the  upright  position  and  closely  pruned.  It  will  be  un- 
derstood that  in  the  process  of  bending  down,  the  roots 
are  only  disturbed  slightly  on  the  side  that  has  been  ex- 
cavated ;  consequently  they  have  nearly  the  full  vigor  of 
undisturbed  roots,  and  the  plants  will  grow  in  a  way  that 
•will  amply  repay  the  little  labor  bestowed  upon  them.  Ev- 
ery plant  thus  saved  over  has  a  value  four-fold  that  of  any 
thing  which  can  be  planted  in  spring,  for  the  obvious  reason 
that  it  has  not  had  its  roots  disturbed  by  removal.  This 
plan  is  a  great  improvement  on  that  sometimes  practised 
of  digging  them  up  and  burying  them  in  the  fall,  to  be 
unearthed  and  again  replanted  in  spring,  for  this  cannot 
be  done  without  mutilation  of  the  root,  and  consequently 
diminished  growth  the  next  season.  Plants  of  different 
lands  vary  much  in  their  ability  to  recuperate  after  plant- 
ing, and  few  suffer  more  than  the  Rose ;  hence  the  necessity 
of  practising  the  method  recommended,  in  preference  to 
that  of  digging  them  up.  But  a  still  worse  plan  is,  for 
amateurs  in  gardening  to  lift  their  Rose  plants  and  pot 
them  in  fall,  and  attempt  to  keep  them  in  the  house  or 
cellar  in  winter ;  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  they  never  live 
till  spring,  and  if  they  do,  only  linger  out  a  miserable  and 
diseased  existence.  Roses  are  often  expensive,  and  always 
valued  plants,  and  we  can  well  imagine  how  natural  it  is 
on  the  approach  of  cold  weather  to  lift  and  pot  them,  and 
place  them  in  the  window  of  a  warm  sitting-room  or 
parlor ;  but  this  kindness  is  killing  to  them,  for  they  are 
not  a  kind  of  plant  that  desires  heat  at  this  season,  or  in 
this  condition  of  their  growth.  It  is  still  more  delusive  to 


CULTURE    OF  THE   ROSE.  127 

think  that  they  can  be  lifted  from  the  ground  in  fall  and 
potted  so  that  they  will  bloom  during  winter ;  perhaps  by 
such  treatment  as  can  be  given  in  a  cool  green-house  or 
frame,  they  may  be  got  to  bloom  by  February  or  March, 
but  they  should  never  be  forced  into  bloom  earlier,  unless 
they  have  been  grown  in  pots  during  the  summer  pre- 
vious. 

The  above  is  described  as  applied  to  a  single  plant,  but 
a  whole  bed  may  be  covered  in  the  same  manner. 

ROSES  IN  POTS. 

As  millions  of  Roses  are  now  sold  in  pots  in  spring,  we 
will  briefly  state  the  method  we  have  most  successfully 
adopted  in  growing  large  numbers  annually  for  the  past 
dozen  years.  The  plants  used  are  those  struck  from  cut- 
tings in  March  and  April,  and  planted  out  in  the  open 
ground  in  May ;  these  make  plants  averaging  18  inches 
in  height,  with  proportionate  breadth,  by  the  first  of  No- 
vember. Although,  as  before  stated,  we  make  no  special 
preparation  of  soil  for  any  particular  class  of  plants,  we 
are  always  more  careful  that  the  soil  used  for  Roses  be 
fresh.  While  our  regular  mixture  of  decomposed  sods 
and  manure  suits  very  well  for  plants  generally  when  it  is 
two  or  three  years  old,  we  prefer  that  for  Roses  to  be  but 
a  few  months  cut  from  the  field  before  it  is  used.  In 
lifting  up  the  plants  from  the  ground,  all  possible  care  is 
taken  to  save  the  fibres  from  injury,  and  they  are,  on  no 
consideration,  ever  allowed  to  be  exposed  to  drying  winds 
or  to  wilt  in  any  way,  being  sprinkled  at  intervals  while 
laying  in  the  heaps  in  the  potting  shed.  We  prefer  to 
prune  (which  we  do  with  scissors)  before  potting ;  it  is  not 
only  done  twice  as  quickly,  but  it  also  relieves  the  plant  at 
once  from  surplus  shoots,  and  being,  Avhen  pruned,  more 
compact  to  handle,  it  can  be  potted  in  half  the  time.  The 
pots  used  are  from  4  to  8  inches  in  diameter,  in  proper- 


128  PRACTICAL   FLOEICTTLTTEE. 

tion  to  the  size  of  the  plants.  The  potting  is  done  rather 
firmer  than  in  most  plants,  the  Rose  preferring  a  stiff  soil. 
When  potted,  they  are  freely  watered ;  shaded,  if  sunny, 
and  kept  close  for  8  or  10  days.  Xow  comes  the  most 
important  point,  the  place  in  which  they  are  to  be  kept 
during  winter.  This  must  be  where  they  will  not  be 
excited  into  growth;  an  ordinary  green-house  tempera- 
ture, suited  for  Geraniums  or  Fuchsias,  would  be  destruc- 
tive to  Roses  in  their  dormant  state,  when  they  are  with- 
out "working  roots."  If  kept  in  a  green-house  at  all,  its 
temperature  should  never  exceed  40°  at  night,  with  fire- 
heat,  and  if  it  falls  down  to  32°,  now  and  then,  it  will  do 
no  harm.  But  this  kind  of  temperature  can  be  best  ob- 
tained in  a  cold  pit  or  frame,  where  there  is  no  flue  or 
pipes,  or  other  means  of  heating.  These  pits  should  be 
sunk  from  18  inches  to  2  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
ground,  in  some  sheltered  spot,  facing  south,  and,  above 
all,  so  situated  that  no  water  will  stand  in  the  bottom  of 
the  pit ;  if  not  naturally  dry,  it  must  be  made  so  by 
thorough  draining.  The  Roses  placed  in  the  pit  should 
be  plunged  to  the  rim  of  the  pots  in  tan  bark,  sawdust, 
coal  ashes,  or  some  such  material.  Air  should  be  given 
at  all  times  when  the  weather  will  permit,  and  the  sashes 
covered  sufficiently  at  night  to  prevent  the  plants  being 
frozen  much ;  a  slight  frost  may  not  injure,  but  they  will 
be  safer  and  better  if  never  frozen  at  all.  In  severe  snow- 
storms, the  plants  being  in  a  dormant  state,  there  is  no 
occasion  to  uncover  for  two  or  three  weeks,  unless  to 
take  precautions  against  the  inroads  of  mice  or  rats, 
which  are  often  destructive.  We  allow  the  Roses,  when 
placed  in  frames,  to  remain  in  them  until  the  middle  of 
February,  by  which  time  they  have  formed  young  root- 
lets, and  will  then  stand  the  higher  temperature  of  the 
green-house,  to  which  they  are  then  brought  to  get  them 
in  shape  to  force  into  bloom,  so  as  *.<>  be  in  salable  con- 
dition  in  April  and  May. 


CULTURE   OF   THE   ROSE.  129 

EOSES   FOR   WINTER   BLOOMING. 

Roses  for  winter  blooming  require  a  different  treatment, 
as  one  essential  condition  of  forcing  for  flower  is  that  the 
plant  has  abundance  of  active,  or,  as  we  term  them, 
"working  roots."  For  this  reason,  Roses  required  for 
winter  blooming  are  either  planted  out  in  prepared  bord- 
ers in  the  green-house  in  spring  or  early  summer,  or  else 
grown  in  pots  throughout  the  summer,  so  that  by  fall  the 
plant  is  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  "  working  roots." 
Plants  are  started  for  this  purpose  either  by  cuttings  struck 
in  March,  or  else  the  year-old  plants  are  used ;  but  in 
either  case,  care  must  be  taken  that  shiftings  are  made 
sufficiently  often  during  the  season  to  prevent  the  roots 
becoming  what  is  termed  pot-bound.  In  this  condition, 
there  is  a  matting  of  hard  roots  formed  around  the  ball 
of  soil,  and  touching  the  sides  of  the  pot.  Whenever  the 
fibres  begin  to  lose  their  whiteness  and  become  hard  and 
woody,  their  power  of  absorption,  to  a  great  extent, 
ceases,  and,  in  consequence,  we  at  once  have  a  loss  of 
vigor  in  the  plant.  For  this  same  reason,  every  care  must 
be  taken  to  have  the  plants  supplied  with  moisture  during 
the  hot,  dry  days  of  summer,  for,  if  once  allowed  to  wilt, 
you  have  dried  up  the  white,  working  roots,  and  before 
the  plant  can  regain  its  impaired  vigor,  new  ones  must  be 
formed.  We  find  that  when  we  dig  up  a  Rose  plant  in 
November,  and  pot  it  with  all  the  care  possible,  we  can- 
not get  it  to  regain  its  vigor,  unless  it  is  kept  at  the  low 
temperature  previously  recommended  until  nature  has  re- 
paired the  destruction  of  the  feeding  roots,  which  occurred 
in  digging  it  up.  By  attempting  to  force  it  into  flower,  by 
placing  it  in  a  high  temperature  in  this  condition,  you  will 
either  kill  it  outright,  or  else  cause  it  to  produce  a  few  fee- 
ble and  abortive  shoots  and  flowers.  But  the  case  is  very 
different  if  the  plant  has  been  so  treated  as  to  have  an  abund- 
ance of  active  roots ;  its  system  is  in  full  vigor,  and  it  wilJ 


130  PBACT1CAL  FLOEICULTCEE. 

continue  to  produce  sBoots  and  flowers  in  profusion 
during  any  part  of  fall  or  winter,  at  the  will  of  the 
operator,  proper  judgment  being  used  to  prune  in  the 
plants  previous  to  the  desired  time  of  flowering.  Thus, 
if  Rose-buds  are  wanted  at  the  first  of  January,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  prune  off  or  shorten  the  shoots  about  Novem- 
ber 1st ;  they  may  then  be  put  into  a  temperature  ranging 
from  50°  to  60°,  at  night,  with  15°  higher  during  the  day, 
plentifully  syringed,  but  sparingly  supplied  with  water  at 
the  roots  until  they  begin  to  grow  freely.  In  the  summer 
treatment,  I  have  omitted  to  state  that  the  plants  should 
be  at  all  times  fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  but,  to  counteract 
the  drying  up  from  this  exposure,  the  pots  should  be 
plunged  to  the  rim  in  sawdust,  refuse  hops,  tan  bark,  sand, 
or  some  such  material,  as  is  most  convenient.  Another 
plan  that  may  be  adopted  when  it  is  not  convenient  to 
carry  the  Roses  through  the  summer  in  pots,  is  to 
lift  up  and  pot  those  planted  out  early  in  the  fall,  say 
by  the  middle  of  September,  or,  at  latest,  the  first  of 
October ;  if  carefully  lifted  thus  early,  and  kept  from 
wilting,  they  will  have  filled  the  pots  with  working  roots 
by  November,  and  will  make  plants  nearly  as  good  for 
forcing  as  those  grown  throughout  the  entire  summer  in 
pots.  For  this  purpose,  two-year-old  plants  are  much  bet- 
ter than  those  only  one  year  old,  as,  having  more  fibres, 
they  more  quickly  form  the  essential  "  working"  roots. 

In  1870  we  built  a  green-house  for  roses,  300  feet  long 
and  21  feet  in  width,  of  which  figure  44  is  an  end  sec- 
tion. It  differs  from  that  figured  on  page  65  in  being  one 
foot  wider  and  having  the  back  and  middle  bench  on  the 
same  level,  which  we  find  to  be  of  convenience  in  work- 
ing, besides  giving  the  roses  a  better  chance  to  grow 
higher.  The  question  of  the  walls  for  such  a  structure  as 
this  is  a  very  important  one.  We  find  that  if  brick  is  to 
be  used  for  the  north  or  back  wall,  it  must  be  made 
hollow,  as  a  solid  wall  of  even  one  foot  in  thickness  will 


CULTTJKE    OF   THE   EOSE. 


131 


not  stand  the  extremes  of  temperature  between  the  out- 
side and  inside;  but  as  a  hollow  wall  is  an  expensive 
matter,  I  would  recommend  to  those  with  whom  economy 
is  an  object  to  construct  the  walls  thus:  Get  strong 
locust,  chestnut,  or  cedar  posts,  of  length  sufficient  to 
allow  them  to  set  3  feet  in  the  ground ;  place  these  6  feet 
apart ;  outside  of  these  nail  hemlock  or  other  rough 
boards ;  against  this  tack  a  layer  of  asphalt  or  tarred 
paper,  and  then  against  the  paper  nail  the  weather- 
boarding,  finishing  at  the  top  with  a  hollowed-out  timber, 


BoSHcfofRfM 

Fig.  44. — END    SECTION  OF   ROSE-HOUSE. 

6  or  8  inches  wide,  for  a  gutter.  A  green-house  of  this 
kind,  heating  apparatus,  and  all  complete,  will  cost  at 
present  prices  from  $20  to  $25  per  running  foot;  with 
hollow  brick  walls,  it  would  cost  about  $30  per  running 
foot.  The  use  of  tarred  paper  for  green-house  walls  is 
only  a  recent  one ;  formerly  we  used  to  fill  in  with  brick, 
or  use  double  boarding,  leaving  a  space  of  two  or  three 
inches,  which  was  filled  in  with  charcoal,  sawdust,  or  some 
other  non-conducting  material ;  but  the  tarred  paper  is  by 
far  the  cheaper  and  better.  The  rose-house  we  erected 
last  year  contains  about  5,000  plants,  grown  in  10  and  12- 
inch  pots,  occupying  about  a  square  foot  of  space  for  each 


132  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

plant.  No  plants  could  possibly  be  in  better  health  and 
vigor ;  and  the  amount  of  rose-buds  gathered  from  Oc- 
tober to  May,  30  weeks,  averaged  about  2,000  buds  per 
week.  At  New  York  rates,  which  are  very  low — say  86 
per  100 — this  would  give  about  $3,600  for  the  crop.  The 
varieties  grown  I  will  name  in  the  order  of  their  value 
here:  Safrano  (orange  yellow),  Isabella  Sprunt  (canary 
yellow),  Son  Silene  (carmine  purple),  and  Bella  (white). 
These  are  all  Tea-roses,  and  the  varieties  most  valued  for 
forcing  ;  Son  Silene  is  the  favorite,  and  is  largely  grown 
about  Boston.  One  florist  there  sent  last  New  Year's 
Day,  1872,  to  the  bouquet-makers  of  New  York  1,200, 
for  which  he  received  $300,  or  $25  per  100.  This  variety, 
from  its  delicious  odor  and  rare  and  bright  shade  of  color, 
is  generally  of  twice  the  value  of  any  other;  but  against 
this  advantage  is  the  fact  that  it  is  less  prolific  of  bloom, 
scarcely  yielding  half  the  number  of  flowers  in  a  given 
space  as  any  of  the  others  named.  The  method  of  sum- 
mer preparation  for  forcing  is  to  secure  good  healthy 
young  plants  that  have  been  propagated  in  March  or 
April ;  these,  when  first  taken  from  the  cutting-bench, 
are  placed  in  2  or  3-inch  pots  ;  if  rooted  in  March,  they 
will  have  filled  the  small  pots  with  roots  by  the  middle  of 
April ;  if  in  April,  by  middle  of  May.  In  either  case 
they  should  be  shifted  into  larger  pots  as  soon  as  the  ball 
of  soil  has  been  filled  with  white  roots ;  if  left  too  long 
unshifted,  the  roots  become  brown  in  color,  and  of  a  hard, 
woody  nature ;  if  in  this  condition  they  become  checked 
in  growth,  they  never  afterward  make  so  fine  plants.  Of 
course,  until  the  middle  of  May,  these  shiftings  of  the 
young  plants  must  be  done  under  glass,  but  after  that 
time  they  should  be  placed  in  beds  of  convenient  width, 
say  4  or  5  feet,  in  some  free  and  airy  situation.  When 
first  shifted  from  a  smaller  to  .a  larger  pot,  the  plants 
should  be  placed  close  together,  the  rims  of  the  pots 
touching;  but  as  they  begin  to  grow  freely  the  pots 


CULTURE    OF   THE   ROSE.  133 

should  be  drawn  apart,  so  that  the  rims  stand  an  inch  or 
so  clear  of  each  other.  This  is  very  important,  in  order 
to  admit  free  circulation  of  air  around  the  sides  of  the 
pots,  and  develop  strong  and  healthy  roots.  Until  the 
middle  of  June  we  stand  the  pots  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground ;  but  about  that  time  it  is  necessary  to  plunge  the 
pots  to  the  rim  in  sand,  coal-ashes,  waste  tan-bark,  or 
some  such  dry  and  light  material.  If  this  is  not  done 
they  can  hardly  be  kept  damp  enough ;  and  the  intense 
heat  of  the  sun  beating  down  on  the  sides  of  the  pots 
dries  up  the  young  rootlets.  It  is  necessary  that  the  beds 
wherein  the  Roses  are  plunged  should  be  so  arranged  that 
no  water  will  lodge  at  the  roots,  as  that  would  be  quickly 
fatal.  Last  fall  we  found  it  necessary,  after  a  heavy  rain- 
storm, to  lift  the  pots  out  of  the  sand  in  which  they  had 
been  plunged,  to  allow  them  to  dry.  Forty-eight  hours 
of  heavy  rain  would  have  killed  the  young  roots.  It  is 
also  essential  to  watch  that  the  roots  do  not  get  through 
the  bottom  of  the  pot ;  to  prevent  this,  they  should  be 
turned  around  at  least  every  ten  days,  to  break  off  any 
roots  that  may  have  run  through.  It  will  be  understood 
that  continued  shiftings  into  larger  pots  are  necessary 
during  intervals  of  four  or  five  weeks  during  the  summer, 
until  September,  by  which  time,  if  well  grown,  they  will 
be  of  sufficient  size  to  require  pots  of  10  or  12  inches  in 
diameter.  If  it  is  preferred  that  the  roses  be  planted  out 
for  winter  flowering,  it  should  be  done  in  August,  and  in 
solid  beds  in  the  green-house  not  on  board  benches.  We 
never  shift  them  after  middle  of  September,  as  the  roots 
they  have  then  made  are  sufficient  to  carry  them  through 
the  winter  and  spring,  stimulated,  however,  by  water 
drained  from  the  manure  heap,  which  we  use  twice  a 
week,  from  January  on  to  May,  diluted  to  the  color  of 
strong  tea.  The  expenses  attendant  on  the  cultivation, 
and  the  interest  on  the  investment  of  this  rose-house  the 
past  season,  were  about  as  follows : 


134  PRACTICAL   FLOBICULTUBB. 

First  cost  of  stock,  if  it  had  to  be  bought,  5,000  roses  at  10  eta. .  $500 

Interest  on  $6,000,  at  12  per  cent 730 

Labor  of  one  man  for  the  year 500 

80  tons  coal,  at  $6 480 

$2,200 
Receipts  for  the  year 3,600 

Profit $1,400 

The  second  year,  of  course,  the  expense  of  buying 
stock  would  not  come  in,  as  the  plants  would  be  in  better 
order  the  second  and  even  the  third  year  than  the  first ; 
besides,  if  young  plants  are  wanted  for  sale,  they  might 
be  propagated  in  any  quantity  from  the  flowering 
plants. 

We  built  in  spring  of  1872  two  houses,  each  20  feet 
wide  by  100  in  length,  for  the  winter  flowering  of  Roses, 
that  have  answered  the  purpose  so  well,  and  besides  the 
construction  is  such  that  it  may  be  adapted  to  almost  any 
kind  of  a  plant  house  or  for  a  grapery,  that  we  give  the 
plan  here,  believing  it  will  be  found  well  suited  for  many 
purposes.  Figure  46  shows  the  elevation  of  a  portion  of 
one  of  these  houses,  and  figure  45  the  ground  plan.  As 
we  use  it,  the  centre  bed  is  prepared  exactly  as  if  for  a 
grapery  border,  the  bottom  of  the  bed  is  level  with 
the  walk,  plastered  over  with  an  inch  or  two  of  cement 
(to  keep  the  roots  from  going  down  to  the  cold  sub- 
soil), sloping  to  each  side  so  as  to  give  rapid  drain- 
age through  openings  that  are  left  in  the  bottom  of  the 
8-inch  wall  which  forms  the  bed.  The  height  of  this 
wall  is  20  inches,  making  the  bed  or  border  of  that  depth. 
The  materials  that  we  formed  the  border  of  were  3  parts 
decomposed  sod,  2  parts  scraping  from  a  paved  street  and 
1  part  well  rotted  cow  manure.  The  street  scrapings  are 
not  specially  necessary,  and  may  be  dispensed  with  when 
not  procurable,  using  all  sod  instead.  The  Roses,  which 
are  the  usual  winter  flowering  sorts,  have  done  excellently. 
The  side  benches  of  the  house  under  which  run  the  pipes 


CULTURE    OF   THE    ROSE. 


135 


Fig.  45. — END  VIEW  AND  PI/AN  OF  BOSE-HOUSE. 


136 


PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 


CULTURE    OF    THE    KOSE.  137 

are  about  3  feet  from  the  walk,  giving  room  enough  from 
the  glass  to  grow  plants  from  2  to  3  feet  in  height.  We 
have  used  these  benches  exclusively  for  growing  Roses  in 
pots,  but  they  may  be  used,  of  course,  for  any  other  plants 
requiring  the  same  temperature  as  the  Roses.  At  the  end 
of  the  house  to  the  north  is  placed  the  furnace  pit  and 
sheds,  so  that  the  other  end  is  due  South.'  This  we  think 
the  best  aspect  for  an  equal  span-roofed  green-house.  When 
it  is  a  "  half-span,"  then  the  long  side  should  be  due  East 
the  ends  being  North  and  South.  The  cost  of  each  style 
is  nearly  similar  and  will  be  found  estimated  for  the  "half- 
span  "  style  at  page  131.  Ventilation  is  given  by  "  lift- 
ing sashes  "  along  the  roof  on  the  East  side  of  both  kinds 
of  green-houses  by  means  of  a  patent  ventilator.  In  this 
ventilator  a  jointed  iron  arm  is  fastened  to  each  sash,  and 
the  other  end  of  the  arm  is  attached  to  an  iron  shaft  that 
runs  horizontally  the  whole  length  of  the  house  close  to 
the  roof.  By  means  of  a  crank  placed  in  a  convenient 
position  and  proper  gearing  the  shaft  is  made  to  revolve, 
and  this  acting  upon  the  arms  lifts  the  sashes  simultaneous- 
ly. But  very  little  exertion  is  required  to  move  it,  and 
the  ventilators  can  with  the  greatest  ease  be  opened  a 
mere  crack  or  to  their  fullest  extent.  Either  of  these 
styles  of  span-roofed  green-houses,  would  be  more  econom- 
ical to  have  the  width  22  or  24  feet  rather  than  20,  so 
that  the  centre  bed  for  Roses  might  be  wider. 

There  are  comparatively  few  varieties  of  Roses  suitable 
for  producing  flowers  in  sufficient  abundance  in  winter 
to  make  it  profitable,  and  these  few  are  such  as  in  the 
summer  months  are  by  no  means  our  finest ;  but  they 
are  selected  for  winter,  not  for  their  developed  flowers,  but 
for  their  buds.  Thus  the  Safrano,  one  of  the  most  valued 
for  its  saffron  yellow  buds,  is  but  semi-double.  Those 
most  valued  by  the  New  York  florists  are: 

Lamarque, — White,  with  a  tinge  of  straw  color  in  the 
center ;  a  vigorous  grower,  usually  trained  up  the  rafters. 


138  PRACTICAL   FLOBICULTUBE. 

Thousands  of  feet  of  green-house  are  devoted  exclusively  to 
this  variety. 

Solfaterre,— A  bright  straw  color,  of  growth  similar  to 
Lamarque,  but  more  shy  of  flowering,  and  on  this  account 
grown  only  hi  limited  numbers. 

James  Sprunt,  or  Climbing  Agrippina,— Rich  dark 
crimson. 

Safrano, — Saffron  yellow;  abundant  bloomer;  of  rich 
Tea  odor ;  the  one  grown  next  to  Lamarque  in  greatest 
abundance. 

Isabella  Sprunt. — Exactly  like  Safrano,  except  in  color, 
which  is  a  bright  canary  yellow. 

Agrippina. — Rich  deep  crimson,  with  an  occasional 
splash  of  white  through  the  centre. 

Le  PhceniX. — Deep  shade  of  carmine;  most  abundant 
bloomer,  with  the  rich  fragrance  of  the  damask  or  moss. 

Duchess  de  Brabant, — Color,  light  carmine  shade;  a 
very  pleasing,  lively  color,  and  the  most  abundant  bloomer 
of  any  yet  named ;  Tea-scented.  "We  value  this  variety 
so  highly,  both  for  summer  and  winter  flowering,  that  we 
have  grown  ten  thousand  plants  of  it  alone  this  season. 

Hermosa, — Another  favorite  variety,  with  rosy  pink 
flowers  ;  most  prolific  flowering  variety. 

Pauline  Labonte. — Light  blush  or  cream  color,  similar 
hi  style  of  growth  and  shape  of  flower  to  La  Pactole. 

Bon  Silcne, — A  variety  largely  grown  in  the  vicinity  of 
Boston ;  of  a  deep  salmon  shade  of  pink,  of  rich  tea  fra- 
grance, and  of  large  size ;  the  bud  often  two  inches  long. 

Gloire  de  Dijon, — Large,  full ;  buff,  shaded  with  salmon. 

Marshal  Kiel. — This  we  include  from  its  distinctive  col- 
or of  deep  yellow  and  its  large  and  handsome  bud  more 
than  for  its  productive  qualities.  It  has  now  been  tried 
sufficiently  to  thoroughly  test  it,  and  from  what  we  have 


CULTURE    OF   THE   KOSE.  J  39 

seen  we  are  inclined  to  think  it  will  be  retained  as  a  first 
class  forcing  rose. 

The  greatest  pest  we  have  to  contend  with  in  Rose  cul- 
ture is  mildew.  Opinions  as  to  its  cause  are  varied  and 
contradictory.  The  theory  is  that  mildew  being  a  fun- 
goid growth  the  seeds  of  which  are  ever  present  in  the 
atmosphere,  when  a  relaxed  condition  of  the  plant  en- 
sues the  minute  seeds  find  a  suitable  place  for  their  devel- 
opment hi  the  enfeebled  leaf.  Therefore  we  believe  that 
any  thing  that  impedes  the  flow  of  the  sap  places  the 
plant  in  that  condition  fitted  to  develop  mildew.  Thus 
we  often  see  our  Roses  without  a  taint  of  mildew  during 
all  the  winter  and  early  spring  months,  until  the  hot,  dry 
days  of  the  middle  or  end  of  May  dry  the  soil  in  the  pots 
to  such  a  degree  that  the  plant  wilts — the  sap  is  impeded, 
and  mildew  follows.  Or  a  door  is  left  open  and  the  frosty 
air  fastens  on  the  stems  and  leaves,  congeals  the  sap,  enfee- 
bles the  plant,  and  though  from  an  entirely  opposite 
cause,  the  result  is  the  same. 

I  once  had  a  most  marked  example  of  this  kind.  Early 
in  April,  we  had  an  old-fashioned  lean-to  green-house 
filled  with  Roses  in  full  leaf,  in  the  very  highest  state  of 
vigor.  The  house  was  some  sixty  feet  in  length  and  was 
ventilated  by  sliding  down  every  alternate  sash  at  the  top. 
In  ventilating  on  one  occasion,  the  sashes  had  been  neg- 
lected until  so  late  in  the  evening  that  the  Roses  exposed 
to  the  air  had  become  chilled  by  frost  so  that  the  young 
shoots  hung  down  as  if  wilted ;  as  the  green-house  got  heat- 
ed up  they  recovered,  and  to  all  appearance  next  morning 
looked  none  the  worse  for  being  frozen;  but  in  a  week 
after,  mildew  appeared  in  a  clearly  defined  square  space  of 
about  3x3  feet,  following  almost  exactly  in  the  line  where 
the  plants  had  been  frozen. 

Had  the  sap  been  arrested  by  the  roots  getting  dry  in 
that  condition  of  growth,  no  doubt  the  result  would  have 
been  the  same 


140  PBACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

Like  most  other  diseases,  mildew  is  best  met  by  preven- 
tion rather  than  cure,  and  for  this  reason  all  care  should 
be  taken  to  avoid  the  extremes  referred  to,  and,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  avoid  great  variation  of  temperature.  Sul- 
phur is  applied  in  various  ways  to  destroy  milde\v,  but  will 
often  fail  if  the  disease  has  gained  much  headway.  The 
best  way  is  to  use  it  mildly  as  a  preventive.  Tins  is  done 
by  boiling  3  Ibs.  of  sulphur  and  3  Ibs.  of  lime  in  6  gallons 
of  water  until  it  is  reduced  to  2  gallons ;  allow  the  liquid  to 
settle  until  it  gets  clear,  then  put  it  in  a  jar  or  bottle  it  for 
use.  One  gill  of  this  is  mixed  in  5  gallons  of  water  and 
syringed  over  the  Roses  in  the  evening.  Applied  in  this 
weak  state  it  does  not  injure  the  leaves,  and  yet  has  the 
effect  of  preventing  mildew,  if  perseveringly  attended  to, 
as  the  seeds  of  mildew  seemingly  cannot  vegetate  in  an 
atmosphere  or  in  a  soil  impregnated  with  sulphur. 

Roses,  when  grown  in  pots,  particularly  in  cold  pits, 
are  often  much  troubled  by  the  common  angle-worm.  An 
effective  means  of  destroying  them  is  to  slake  a  peck  of 
lime  in  50  gallons  of  water,  and  water  the  plants  freely 
with  the  liquid  after  it  has  become  clear. 


CHAPTER     XX. 

CULTIVATION  OF  THE  VERBENA 

I  much  doubt  if  there  is  another  chapter  in  this  work  in 
which  so  much  interest  will  be  taken  by  many  gardeners  as 
in  this,  for  hundreds  of  them,  entirely  successful  in  all  other 
operations,  signally  fail  with  the  Verbena.  As  it  is 
known  to  thousands  that  in  this  matter  we  have  always 
been  successful,  they  will  have  interest  in  knowing  what 
our  peculiar  mode  of  culture  is  that  thus  far  has  exempted 
as  from,  the  disease  affecting  this  plant  —  known  as 


CULTIVATION  OF    THE    VERBENA.  141 

"  black  rust," — and  enabled  us  to  grow  it  for  nearly  twenty 
years  untainted  by  disease.  I  will  make  the  starting- 
point  the  first  of  April.  At  that  date  take  cuttings  from 
healthy  plants ;  see  that  they  are  taken  in  the  condition 
described  in  the  Chapter  on  Propagation — that  is,  that 
they  are  in  such  a  state  that  they  will  break  on  being  bent. 
They  will  root  fit  to  be  potted  off,  in  eight  or  ten  days, 
and  will  be  fine,  healthy  plants  to  put  in  the  open  ground 
in  thirty  days  after.  Verbenas  are  not  at  all  particular 
about  soil,  provided  it  is  not  water-soaked ;  we  have 
planted  them  on  soils  varying  from  almost  pure  sand  to 
heavy  clay,  and,  provided  it  was  enriched  by  manure,  there 
was  but  little  difference  in  the  growth  or  bloom.  Planted 
out  in  May,  by  August  they  will  have  spread  to  a  dis- 
tance of  three  feet,  the  plants  profusely  covered  with  flow- 
ers and  seed  pods.  Now  at  this  time,  say  the  middle  of  Au- 
gust, this  profuse  flowering  and  seeding  seems  to  lessen  the 
vitality  of  the  plant  and  put  it  in  the  condition  to  invite 
the  attack  of  the  "  black  rust "  producing  insect.  To  sustain 
the  vitality  of  the  plant  and  recuperate  its  exhausted  forces, 
we  cut  back  the  extremities  of  the  shoots  some  six  inches, 
in  all  plants  from  which  we  design  to  propagate,  free  the 
plants  of  decayed  leaves,  and  thin  out  where  too  thick  at 
the  centre.  Then  we  fork  up  the  soil  around  each  plant, 
adding  a  compost  of  equal  parts  of  fresh  soil  and  rotted 
manure  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  inches.  Young 
shoots,  as  they  develop,  root  into  this  with  avidity,  pro- 
ducing a  soft  and  healthy  growth,  which  by  the  first 
or  middle  of  October,  gives  as  just  the  style  of  cutting  we 
require.  Now  the  process  of  propagation  begins,  which 
may  be  carried  on  either  in  the  propagating  house,  in  the 
usual  way,  or  by  the  saucer  system,  as  before  described ;  but 
by  whichever  method  the  propagation  is  effected,  let  me 
again  mention  the  importance  of  taking  the  cutting  in  that 
succulent  condition  in  which  it  will  snap  on  being  bent. 
Do  not  attempt  to  pot  the  old  plant  or  the  layers  of  the 


142  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

Verbena,  or  even  to  take  a  shoot  for  a  cutting  which  l.as 
formed  a  root  in  the  ground ;  for  in  most  cases  the  roots 
so  formed  are  so  low  down  that  the  shoot  is  hard  and 
woody  at  that  point,  and  will  not  be  likely  to  produce  such 
roots  as  will  give  a  healthy  growth.  It  is  by  starting 
wrong  in  the  fall,  and  impairing  the  vitality  of  the  plant, 
and  placing  it  in  an  enfeebled  state,  that  disease  is  invited. 

In  the  directions  given  in  the  Chapter  on  Propagation 
great  importance  is  attached  to  the  necessity  of  potting 
off  cuttings  immediately  on  being  rooted.  If  this  is  nec- 
essary with  any  plant,  it  is  especially  so  with  the  Verbena, 
as  no  plant  is  more  susceptible  of  injury  from  allowing  the 
roots  to  become  elongated  and  hardened  in  the  cutting 
bench.  Cuttings  thus  neglected  make  hard,  slim  plants, 
which,  even  if  they  do  escape  the  insect  pest,  are  not  likely 
to  make  thrifty  plants.  On  potting  the  cuttings,  they  are 
placed  in  a  green -house  or  frame,  and  shaded  in  the  usual 
way  for  two  or  three  days  or  as  long  as  the  condition  of 
the  weather  may  require.  As  soon  as  they  have  struck 
root  in  the  soil  of  the  pots,  they  should  be  kept  cool,  and 
abundantly  supplied  with  air  by  tilting  up  or  letting  down 
the  sash. 

No  fire  heat  need  be  given,  except  sufficient  to  keep 
them  from  freezing,  and  if  a  temperature  can  be  sustained 
throughout  the  entire  winter  months  ranging  from  40° 
to  45°,  at  night,  and  not  to  exceed  10°  higher  during 
the  day  until  the  beginning  of  March,  there  is  no  doubt 
whatever  of  having  a  healthy  and  vigorous  stock,  provid- 
ing proper  attention  has  been  given  to  watering  and  to 
fumigation  by  tobacco.  Watering  we  do  by  force-pump 
and  hose,  as  elsewhere  described,  drenching  the  plants 
thoroughly  overhead  by  a  sprinkler,  whenever  they  show 
indications  of  being  dry. 

Continued  fumigation  is  of  the  utmost  importance  in  the 
culture  of  all  plants  under  glass,  but  it  is  perfectly  indis- 
pensable to  the  welfare  of  the  Verbena.  In  all  our  Verbe- 


CULTIVATION   OF   THE   VERBENA.  143 

na  houses  we  fumigate,  on  an  average,  two  or  three  times 
each  week ;  we  do  not  wait  to  see  the  aphis  or  green  fly, 
but  apply  the  antidote  solely  as  a  preventive.  No  omis- 
sion is  so  inexcusable  as  that  of  permitting  plants  to  be 
injured  by  this  insect. 

Although  I  have  elsewhere  stated  (see  chapter  on  In- 
sects) that  the  very  minute  one  which  produces  the 
troublesome  "  black  rust "  on  the  Verbena  seems  invul- 
nerable to  the  fumes  of  tobacco  smoke,  yet  I  have  a  be- 
lief that  our  unremitting  practice  of  fumigating  may  be, 
after  all,  the  true  reason  of  our  exemption  from  its  attack ; 
for  although  this  insect  may  have  the  faculty  of  imbedding 
itself  in  the  leaf  on  the  approach  of  danger,  its  eggs,  being 
stationary  and  exposed,  may  be  destroyed  by  the  action 
of  the  smoke ;  at  all  events,  we  have  repeatedly  brought 
varieties  of  Verbena  severely  affected  by  the  rust  into  our 
collection,  which  in  a  few  weeks  appear  entirely  free 
from  the  disease,  showing  that  our  treatment  in  some  way 
or  other  destroyed  the  enemy. 

There  is  no  question  that  this  insect,  so  fatal  to  the 
health  of  the  Verbena,  is  most  active  and  destructive  in  a 
high  temperature ;  hence  we  find  that  whenever  Verbenas 
are  kept  in  a  mixed  green-house  collection,  where  Fuch- 
sias, Pelargoniums,  Heliotropes,  etc.,  are  grown  (usually  in 
night  temperature  of  55°  or  60°),  the  Verbena  becomes  af- 
fected by  black  rust ;  showing  that  its  minute  enemy  is  at 
work  sapping  its  life-current. 

Verbenas,  whether  grown  for  sale  or  for  private  use,  if  we 
would  have  plants  in  fine  health  and  vigor  in  May,  should 
not  be  propagated  sooner  than  January.  To  be  sure,  the 
"  stock  "  plants,  to  produce  the  cuttings,  must  be  raised 
previous,  in  October  or  November,  but  such  plants  become 
exhausted  by  spring  and  are  inferior  to  later  propagations. 

In  our  own  practice  the  necessities  of  our  business  re- 
quire us  to  put  in  an  uniform  number  of  cuttings  every  two 
weeks  from  November  to  April ;  the  last  lot,  which  we  put 


144 


PRACTICAL    FLOKICULTUBi:. 


off  at  the  end  of  April,  usually  making  the  finest  plants. 
The  raising  of  Verbenas  from  seed  is  described  in  Chapter 
XV. 

It  is  useless  to  particularize  the  varieties  of  the  Ver- 
bena, as  the  yearly  improvement  by  new  seedlings  is 
such  that  those  we  designate  as  the  finest  to-day,  will, 
perhaps,  in  five  years  be  deemed  unworthy  of  cultivation. 

CHAPTER   XXL 

CULTURE  OF  THE  TUBEROSE. 

I  know  of  no  flower  that  is  so  generally  admired,  and 
that  is  yearly  plant- 
ed with  so  much 
uncertainty  of 
blooming  as  the 
Tuberose.  The  ama- 
teur plants  his 
bulbs  of  Hyacinths, 
Tulips,  or  Gladio- 
lus, and  is  just  as 
certain  of  a  bloom 
following  in  due 
season  as  he  is  that 
the  summer  will 
follow  the  spring. 
But  it  is  not  so 
with  his  Tuberose 
bulbs ;  unpleasant 
experience  has  too 
often  told  him  that 
after  selecting  the 
sunniest  spot  in 
his  flower  bed, 

and   planting  with         Fig.  47.  —TUBEROSE  BULB  WITH  SETS. 
the  greatest  care,  instead   of  flowers  he    is   rewarded 


CULTURE    OP   THE   TUBEROSE. 


145 


only  by  a  mass  of  rank,  green  leaves.  Now,  as  in 
most  mishaps  in  amateur  horticulture,  the  cause  is  a  very 
simple  one ;  the  knowledge  in  this  case  is  easily  imparted, 
and  failure  need  never  occur.  In  the  selection  of  the  bulbs, 
reject  all  that  do  not  show  signs  of  vegetation  from  the 


Fig.  48.— SOUND  BULB.      Fig.  49. — BULB  DECAYED  AT  CENTER. 


centre  bulb.  It  is  true  that  they  will  occasionally  flower 
even  when  the  centre  does  not  show  green,  but  it  is  always 
doubtful,  even  to  us  of  the  trade.  Figure  47  shows  a  bulb 
as  it  is  taken  up  by  the  cultivator  in  the  fall — a  large  cen- 
tre bulb  with  several  smaller  ones,  or  "  sets,"  attached. 


146  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

The  large  bulb  only  is  that  which  produces  the  flower, 
and  if  that  has  rotted  in  the  centre  sufficient  to  destroy 
the  flower  germ,  it  will  not  bloom.  Figure  48  shows  a 
perfect  bulb  cut  longitudinally ;  Figure  49,  one  in  which 
the  centre  has  decayed. 

Now,  in  lifting  the  bulbs  in  fall,  eveiy  bulb  is  then  per- 
fect, that  is,  large  enough  to  flower ;  those  figured  are  about 
the  medium  natural  size.  I  am  satisfied  beyond  all  doubt 
that  the  cause  of  decay  and  consequent  failure  to  flower 
in  the  Tuberose  is  its  being  kept  in  too  low  a  temperature 
during  winter.  It  is  supposed,  generally,  that  it  is  enough 
to  keep  it  dry  and  free  from  frost,  as  we  keep  potatoes 
in  a  cellar.  But  unfortunate  experience  has  demonstrated 
to  me,  by  a  loss  of  some  thousands  of  dollars,  that  this  is 
not  enough ;  the  bulbs  must  be  kept  both  dry  and  warm, 
from  October  until  May.  If  they  are  allowed  to  remain  for 
any  length  of  time  in  a  temperature  less  than  50°,  the  centre 
or  flower  germ  will  be  destroyed,  though  the  outward  ap- 
pearance of  the  bulb  to  the  uninitiated  would  be  the  same. 
For  those  who  have  green-houses,  the  best  place  to  keep 
them  is  alongside  the  flue  or  hot  water  pipes  ;  for  those 
who  have  not,  the  shelves  in  a  closet  of  any  well-warmed 
room  will  sufllce.  The  Tuberose  is  now  a  plant  of  rising 
importance  for  market  purposes.  I  have  no  doubt  that  5 
million  roots  are  grown  annually  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
York.  The  greater  part  of  these  are  grown  by  the  florists 
to  supply  the  bouquet  makers  with  this  most  important 
item  in  the  construction  of  their  baskets  of  flowers,  bouquets, 
vases,  etc.,  etc.  Tuberose  flowers  are  now  produced 
nearly  all  the  year  round,  and  sell  at  wholesale  from  $1  to 
$10  per  100  florets,  according  to  the  season,  the  price 
being  the  highest  during  the  holidays.  Each  spike  aver- 
ages 20  florets  or  single  flowers,  so  that  at  some  seasons 
the  flowers  of  a  single  root  of  this  common  bulb  produce 
$2  at  wholesale. 


CULTURE  OF  THE  TUBEROSE.  147 

Cultivating  the  Bulbs,— Our  mode  is  very  simple. 
After  the  ground  has  been  well  manured  and  spaded,  or 
plowed,  lines  are  struck  out  one  foot  apart;  the  small 
bulbs  or  "  sets "  (see  fig  50,)  are  then  planted  six  inches 
apart,  and  at  least  four  inches  below  the  surface  ;  this  we 
consider  of  great  importance,  as  it  tends  to  solidify  the 
neck  of  the  bulb,  and  thereby  prevent 
the  disposition  to  decay.  Our  time  of 
planting  here  is  about  the  1st  of  June, 
but  as  they  do  not  begin  to  grow  for 
nearly  four  weeks  after  planting,  it  is 
necessary  to  hoe  and  rake  the  ground 
once  or  twice  before  they  come  up,  to 
prevent  the  growth  of  weeds,  which 
would  otherwise  quickly  choke  them  in 
their  feeble  state.  The  bulbs  are  matured 
by  the  end  of  October ;  the  tops  are  then 
cut  off  (but  not  too  close,)  and  the  roots 
at  once  placed  in  a  warm  and  dry  place. 

Producing  Flowers, — To  secure  a  con» 
tinuous  bloom  of  the  Tuberose,  the  first 
roots  should  be  started  in  January,  first 
removing  all  side  shoots  or  offsets,  in 
a  temperature  not  less  than  65°,  and 
if  kept  regularly  not  below  that  tern- 
Fig.  50.  perature,  they  will  flower  in  May.  Those 
which  are  wanted  to  flower  outdoors,  and  which  are  of  most 
interest  to  general  readers,  should  be  started  in  a  green- 
house, hot-bed,  or  warm  room,  not  sooner  than  the  1st  of 
May,  and  planted  out  in  the  flower  borders  three  or  four 
weeks  after ;  thus  treated,  they  will  begin  to  bloom  in  Au- 
gust, and  continue  to  bloom  for  two  months.  In  warmer  sec- 
tions of  the  country  there  is  no  necessity  for  this  forward- 
ing treatment,  as  there  the  dry  bulb  planted  out  in  May 
will  flower  freely  during  the  autumn  months.  For  a  later 
succession  of  flowers,  say  for  the  months  of  November, 


148  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

December,  and  January,  the  bulbs  should  be  kept  dry,  and 
planted  by  the  first  or  middle  of  August.  These,  of  course, 
must  be  grown  in  the  hot-house  or  green-house,  as  the 
Tuberose  is  a  plant  requiring  at  all  times  a  high  tempera- 
ture. 

To  give  a  gradual  succession  it  has  been  our  own  prac- 
tice for  the  past  four  years  to  plant  the  dry  bulbs  on  the 
green-house  benches  on  July  20th,  August  5th,  and  August 
20th,  the  last  lot  coming  in  about  Christmas. 

Another  plan  now  very  extensively  practiced  by  our 
"New  York  florists,  to  produce  flowers  from  February  to 
May,  to  succeed  and  precede  those  planted  from  the  dry 
bulbs,  is  to  lift  the  strongest  growing  bulbs  that  can  be 
selected  from  the  patch  in  fall  before  frost.  They  are  dug 
up  carefully,  first  detaching  all  side  shoots,  so  that  a  good 
ball  of  soil  adheres  to  the  root.  They  are  then  either 
planted  in  pots  7  or  8  inches  in  diameter,  or  planted  at 
once  on  the  benches  of  the  hot-house  in  6  inches  of  well- 
prepared  soil,  at  about  5  or  6  inches  apart.  They  are  then 
shaded  and  freely  watered  for  a  few  days,  until  they  have 
struck  out  roots  sufficient  to  sustain  them  without  wilt- 
ing. So  long  as  the  weather  continues  mild,  the  protec- 
tion of  the  glass  will  be  sufliciently  warm  for  them  at 
night;  but  on  the  approach  of  colder  weather,  firing  must 
be  resorted  to,  and  continued,  so  that  the  temperature  shall 
at  no  time  fall  lower  than  50°  at  night,  and  the  nearer 
that  it  can  be  kept  to  60°,  as  an  average,  the  better.  It 
will  be  understood  that  under  these  benches  on  which 
the  Tuberoses  are  planted  run  the  pipes  or  flues,  so 
that  the  temperature  of  the  soil  in  which  they  are  growing 
is  usually  5  degrees  higher  than  the  atmosphere  of  the  hot- 
house at  night,  which  is  one  of  the  main  features  of  suc- 
cess in  forcing  the  Tuberose.  Great  care  is  necessary  in 
airing,  which  should  not  be  done  until  the  atmosphere  of 
the  house  is  at  70°,  and  the  nearer  that  point  can  be 
kept  to  during  the  day  the  better;  above  all  things  any 


CTTLTUEE    OF   THE   TUBEROSE.  149 

continuance  of  a  low  temperature  is  to  be  avoided,  as  the 
Tuberose  is  a  plant  that  succeeds  only  in  a  sub-tropical  at- 
mosphere. When  not  grown  in  a  house  specially  adapted 
for  the  purpose,  the  ordinary  stove  or  hot-house  will  suffice. 
When  the  flower  stem  is  developed,  they  should  on  no  con- 
sideration be  allowed  to  get  dry  at  the  roots,  else  a  whole 
or  part  of  the  flower  buds  will  shrivel  up.  Whether  the 
bulb  has  been  grown  to  flower  in  open  air  or  forced  in  the 
hot-house,  after  it  has  once  flowered  it  is  of  no  further 
value  as  a  flowering  root ;  the  bulb  having  once  flowered 
will  not  flower  again,  and  the  only  value  it  has  is  in  the 
offsets  which  it  may  have  formed.  These  may  be  planted 
out,  as  before  described,  to  produce  new  bulbs  for  the  suc- 
ceeding season. 

The  cultivation  of  the  Tuberose  as  a  winter  flowering 
plant  has  been  practiced  in  this  country  only  within  the 
past  six  or  eight  years,  and  as  yet  only  in  five  or  six  es- 
tablishments successfully.  Many  fail  from  the  cause  to 
which  is  due  the  failure  of  almost  all  floricultural  operations 
— too  great  a  variation  of  temperature  required  by  the  na- 
ture of  the  plant.  Still  the  demand  for  flowers  of  such 
rare  purity  and  fragrance  is  such  that  it  will  stimulate 
many  others,  doubtless,  to  exercise  the  necessary  care  in 
their  culture  and  produce  profitable  results. 

The  variety  mainly  grown  is  the  double  one,  Polianthes 
tuberosa  plena,  but  the  single  variety  is  very  useful  for  its 
earliness,  blooming  in  the  open  ground  two  weeks  sooner 
than  the  double  variety.  A  new  variety,  known  as 
"Pearl,"  of  very  dwarf  habit  and  of  flowers  nearly 
double  the  size  of  this  older  sort,  will  doubtless  soon  be 
exclusively  grown. 

The  Gladiolus  may  be  forced  in  winter  by  the  same 
methods  as  we  recommend  for  the  Tuberose. 


150  PBACTICAL   FLOKICULTUBE. 

CHAPTER    XXH 

ORCHID  CULTURE. 

[The  following  brief  detail  of  Orchid  culture  is  written  by 
James  Fleming,  Jersey  City  Heights,  N.  J.  whose  success  in 
handling  one  of  the  largest  and  most  valuable  collections 
in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  well  warrants  him  in  giving 
instructions  on  the  subject.] 

It  is  only  of  late  years  that  Orchids  have  been  cultivated 
in  this  country,  and  it  is  even  now  rare  to  find  a  collection 
of  more  than  a  few  dozen  plants.  This,  no  doubt,  is  from 
the  idea  entertained  by  many  that  they  are  very  difficult 
to  grow,  but  this  is  not  by  any  means  the  case,  as  with 
favorable  conditions  they  can  be  as  easily  grown  as  a 
Camellia  or  Azalea.  As  we  begin  to  know  more  of  their 
native  habitats  and  the  climate  and  conditions  in  which 
they  grow,  then  we,  no  doubt,  will  find  them  more  thor- 
oughly distributed  through  the  country,  for  the  Orchidaceae 
certainly  embrace  some  of  the  most  beautiful  gems  in  the 
floral  world.  There  are  a  few  enthusiastic  amateurs 
amongst  us  who  deserve  great  credit  for  the  trouble  and 
expense  they  have  incurred  to  enrich  their  collections  and 
foster  a  taste  for  the  cultivation  of  Orchids. 

It  is  entirely  unnecessary  to  have  a  separate  house  for 
Orchids,  as  they  can  be  grown  very  well  with  a  general 
collection  of  stove  plants  where  a  temperature  is  main- 
tained at  60°  to  80°  or  90°  in  summer,  and  55°  to  70°  in 
winter  for  the  Indian  varieties,  and  50°  to  75°  in  summer, 
and  45°  to  60°  in  winter,  for  the  South  American  ones.  I 
could  never  see  that  a  few  degrees'  difference  either  way 
did  any  injury  to  the  plants,  as  long  as  the  proper  degree 
of  moisture  was  maintained.  The  house  ought  to  be 
shaded  in  summer. 

As  the  cultivation  of  the  Indian  and  South  American 
Orchids  is  the  same,  the  only  difference  being  in  the  tern- 


ORCHID    CULTURE.  151 

perature,  I  will  briefly  state  the  mode  of  treatment  where- 
by I  have  had  the  most  success. 

When  a  tyro  in  the  culture  of  Epiphytal  Orchids,  I 
commenced  by  fastening  the  plants,  as  imported,  upon 
blocks  of  wood  and  pieces  of  cork.  While  some  did  tolera- 
bly well,  the  greater  part  did  not  grow  to  my  satisfaction. 
In  our  hot,  dry  weather  it  was  almost  impossible  to  keep 
up  the  proper  degree  of  moisture  and  a  free  circulation  of 
air.  So  I  soon  found  that  by  placing  them  in  perforated 
pots  or  baskets,  I  was  enabled  to  keep  the  roots  moist  and 
give  plenty  of  air ;  by  this  treatment  the  plants  began  to 
improve  daily. 

The  best  material  I  ever  found  for  potting  was  a  very 
fibrous  kind  of  turf,  found  in  a  dry  part  of  a  fresh  water 
swamp.  It  could  be  torn  up  in  thin  sheets  or  broken  into 
blocks  of  any  size.  This,  mixed  with  sphagnum,  broken 
pots,  and  charcoal  in  lumps,  is  the  best  mixture  I  ever 
tried.  The  plant  should  be  well  raised  above  the  level  of 
the  pot  or  basket,  so  that  no  water  may  lodge  around  its 
neck,  and  the  mixture  built  so  as  to  hold  it  firmly  in  its 
place ;  and  to  give  a  neat,  fresh-like  appearance,  chop  some 
green  sphagnum  up  fine,  and  put  a  layer  over  the  whole. 
Baskets  and  pots  of  various  sizes  and  patterns  may  be  used, 
square,  octagonal,  etc.,  as  the  fancy  of  the  owner  may  dic- 
tate. The  best  material  for  the  baskets  is  locust  or  red 
cedar,  as  they  last  long  and  are  not  apt  to  be  attacked  by 
insects. 

In  potting  Terrestrial  Orchids,  place  them  a  little  below 
the  level  of  the  pot  (the  same  as  any  ordinary  plant,  and 
not  raised  as  for  the  Epiphytal  ones,)  in  a  compost  of  rough, 
turfy  loam,  leaf  mould,  sand,  and  broken  pots,  and  subject 
them  to  the  same  temperature  as  the  Epiphytal  species. 

Water  and  syringe  early  in  the  morning,  so  that  the 
sun  may  soon  dry  the  foliage. 

When  the  growing  season  is  over,gradually  lower  the  tem- 
perature, and  decrease  the  quantity  of  water ;  during  the  pe- 


152 


PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 


riod  of  rest  use  very  little  water,  just  enough  to  keep  the 
pseudo-bulbs  from  shrivelling.  The  best  period  to  rest  Or- 
chids is  from  November  to  March.  This  will  apply  to  the 
majority  of  species,  but"  there  will  always  be  some  whose 
season  of  growth  and  bloom  will  come  in  those  months; 
these,  of  course,  must  be  kept  watered  and  growing. 

Very  few  insects  infest  Orchids,  scale  being  the  most 
troublesome,  and  the  only  cure  I  ever  found  was  to  wash 
the  leaves  and  pseudo-bulbs  well  and  frequently  with 
whale  oil  soap. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  a  few  of  the  most  showy  and 
easily  cultivated  kinds. 

AERIAL   OK    EPIPHYTAL. 


^Brides  crispum. 
"      Fieldingii. 
"      odoratum. 
Angrsecum  bilobum. 
Ansellia  Africana. 
Dendrobium  chrysanthum. 
"  Devonianum. 

"  Farmerii. 

•  nobile. 

"  Pierardi. 

"  pulchellum. 

Miltonia  spectabilis. 
Phalcenopsis  amabilis. 

"  grandiflora. 

"          Schilleriana. 
Saccolabium  Blumei. 

curvifolium. 
"          guttatum. 
Trichopilia  suavis. 
"         tortilis. 
Vanda  coerulea. 
"    suavis. 
"    tricolor. 


SOUTH   AMERICAN. 

Cattieya  citrina. 
"        crispa. 
"        intermedia. 
"        labiata. 
"        Mossiae. 
"        Skinned. 
Chysis  bracteecens. 
Epideudruin  aurautiacum. 

"  vittelinum. 

Gongora  atropurpurea. 
Laelia  acuminata. 
"      albida. 
"      anceps. 
"      Perrinii. 
'      purpurascens. 
"      superbiens. 
Lycaste  Skiuneri. 
Odontoglossum  grande. 

"  hastilabioiB, 

Oncidium  lencochilum. 
"         Inridum. 
"         papiiio. 
Stanhopea  Devoniensis. 
"          insignia. 
"          tigrina. 
Zygopetalum  MackayL 
"  maxillare. 


HOLLAND    BULBS.  153 


TERRESTRIAL. 

Blctia  Taukervilliae.  Cypripedinm  vill 

Calanthe  veratrifolia.  Peristeria  elata. 

"       vestita.  Phaius  albus. 
Cypripedium  barbatum.  "       macalatus. 

"  caudatum.  "      WallichiL 

"          insigne.  Uropedium  Lindeni. 
"           StoneL 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

HOLLAND  BULBS. 

The  Holland  Bulbs,  comprising  the  Hyacinth,  Tulip, 
Crocus,  Snowdrop,  Jonquil,  Narcissus,  Iris,  and  Fritil- 
laria,  are  all  hardy  in  this  section  of  the  country,  although 
it  is  always  advantageous  to  cover  them  with  three  or 
four  inches  of  short  manure,  refuse  hops,  or  sawdust,  as  a 
protection  from  being  too  severely  frozen,  as  this,  in  cold 
and  heavy  soils,  may  sometimes  injure  their  flowering. 

All  Holland  Bulbs  prefer  a  rich  sandy  soil,  in  preference 
to  one  of  heavy  clay.  They  are  usually  imported  annual- 
ly, although,  with  the  exception  of  the  Hyacinth,  they 
can  all  be  grown  and  increased  to  advantage  in  our  own 
climate. 

The  bulbs  are  usually  planted  in  the  open  ground  hi 
October,  Hyacinths  at  distances  of  9  inches  apart,  Tulips, 
Narcissuses,  and  Jonquils  at  6  niches,  Crocuses  and  Snow- 
drops, to  produce  a  good  eflect,  at  3  inches.  They  are 
best  grouped  in  beds  of  each  sort  by  itself  to  show  to  ad- 
vantage. As  soon  as  their  flowering  is  over  in  spring, 
Verbenas  or  other  bedding  plants  should  be  placed  in  the 
beds,  as  the  bulbs  are  not  sufficiently  ripened  to  lift  before 
June  or  July.  When  the  leaves  by  becoming  withered 
indicate  the  ripening  of  the  bulbs,  they  should  be  lifted, 


154  PBACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

dried,  and  stored  in  some  cool  but  dry  place,  to  be  again 
planted  in  October.  It  is  essential  to  lift  up  and  dry  all 
such  bulbs,  else  they  will  grow  meagerly  the  succeeding 
season.  In  Europe,  Ranunculuses  and  Anemones  are 
grown  to  great  advantage,  planted  in  the  same  manner  as 
we  plant  Hyacinths  and  Tulips,  but  our  winters  are  too 
severe  for  them,  so  that  they  are  rarely  seen  in  good  con- 
dition, except  when  grown  under  the  protection  of  a  cold 
frame,  and  for  this  reason  are  but  little  cultivated. 

Nearly  all  these  bulbs  also  may  be  grown  as  pot  plants, 
for  the  green-house  or  parlor,  particularly  the  Hyacinth, 
and  as  the  treatment  of  them  all  is  nearly  alike,  we  will 
briefly  give  it.  For  pot  culture  the  best  bulbs  should 
always  be  selected ;  the  soil  used  is  about  one  part  decom- 
posed cow  or  horse  manure,  to  two  parts  sandy  loam, 
well  mixed  by  riddling  through  a  coarse  sieve. 

The  pots  used  should  be  from  5  to  7  inches  in  diameter ; 
the  mould  should  be  placed  in  them  rather  loosely  to  the 
rim,  the  bulb  pressed  down  so  that  only  about  one-third  of 
it  remains  above  the  top  of  the  soil;  the  pot  is  then  struck 
smartly  on  a  bench  so  as  to  give  the  soil  the  proper  degree 
of  firmness,  which  will  bring  it  down  to  an  inch  or  so  be- 
low the  rim  of  the  pot.  Water  freely,  when  potted,  to 
still  further  settle  the  soil.  The  pots  should  now  be  placed 
in  some  situation  where  it  is  cool  and  dark,  so  as  to  en- 
courage a  strong  development  of  roots  before  the  bulb 
starts  at  the  top ;  such  a  situation  may  be  formed  by  cov- 
ering the  pots  with  four  or  five  inches  of  sand  in  a  cool 
cellar,  under  the  stage  of  a  green-house  or  in  a  cold  vinery, 
still  enveloping  them  in  soil  or  sand.  If  none  of  these 
conveniences  is  at  hand,  the  pots  may  be  pitted  in  a 
trench  in  the  open  ground,  covered  over  with  soil,  and 
sufiicient  litter  placed  above  that  to  keep  out  the  frost, 
so  that  they  can  be  got  at  when  wanted.  Hyacinths  thus 
treated  will  have  made  sufficient  roots  by  the  1st  of  Octo- 
ber to  admit  of  their  being  placed  in  the  light  by  the  middle 


HOLLAND    BULBS.  155 

or  end  of  November ;  as  they  begin  to  grow,  water  should 
be  freely  given,  so  that  the  earth  may  be  moistened  to  the 
bottom  of  the  pot,  for  if  stinted  in  water  while  growing, 
the  flowers  will  be  smaller  and  not  brilliant  in  color 

HYACINTHS   IN   GLASSES. 

Dark-colored  glasses  are  best,  the  roots  being  impatient 
of  light.  The  bulb  should  be  placed  so  as  to  barely  touch 
the  water.  The  glasses  should  be  put  in  the  dark  until 
the  roots  reach  the  bottom,  when  they  may  be  exposed  to 
the  light.  The  water  should  be  changed  once  a  week ; 
care  also  must  be  taken  that  they  are  not  exposed  to  frost, 
else  the  glasses  might  be  broken  and  the  roots  to  some 
extent  injured.  Single  Hyacinths  are  better  adapted  for 
glasses  than  double  ones. 

The  varieties  of  Hyacinth  are  as  numerous  as  those  of 
the  Gladiolus,  and  it  would  be  no  help  to  the  reader  to 
specify  them  by  their  name ;  the  colors  embrace  many 
shades  of  red,  blue,  yellow,  and  white,  in  both  the  single 
and  double  sorts. 

TULIPS. 

These,  like  the  Hyacinth,  have  single  and  double  varieties, 
but  the  single  sorts  are  more  extensively  grown,  being  much 
handsomer  than  the  double  varieties.  They  are  divided 
into  three  classes:  Jlizzares,  having  a  yellow  ground 
splashed  with  crimson  or  purple ;  -Rose,  variegated  with 
crimson,  pink,  or  scarlet ;  and  JByblomen,  marked  with 
black,  lilac,  or  purple.  These  classes  are  again  divided  in- 
to  "flamed "  and  "  feathered;"  the  flamed  having  a  dark 
pointed  spot,  something  like  the  flame  of  a  candle,  the 
feathered,  a  dark-colored  edge  round  its  petals,  becom- 
ing lighter  near  the  margin.  The  double  varieties  are 
Due  Van  2 hoi,  red  and  yellow ;  Gold  and  Scarlet  Pceony, 
Tournesol,  scarlet  and  yellow,  Purple  Crown,  etc. 


156  PRACTICAL   FLOEICULTTTKE. 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

CAPE    BULBS— VARIETIES    AND    CULTURE. 
GLADIOLUS. 

Foremost  among  all  "  Cape  Bulbs  "  (so  called  from  be- 
ing natives  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope),  stands  the  GLAIV 
IOLTJS.  Perhaps  no  plant  that  we  have  in  cultivation  has 
made  such  an  advance  under  the  hands  of  the  hybridizer 
within  the  past  dozen  years  as  this.  We  can  well  remem- 
ber the  time  when  the  species  and  varieties  were  confined 
to  Q-.  cardinalis,  Gr.  communis,  Q-.  blandus,  G.  ramosus, 
and  Natalenis,  (or  psittacinus,)  and  also  the  advent  of  the 
then  new  hybrid  Gandavensis,  which  may  be  said  to  be 
the  forerunner  of  all  the  beautiful  varieties  we  now  possess. 
These  varieties  are  now  almost  numberless,  varying  in  ev- 
ery shade  of  their  beautiful  markings,  which  range  through 
all  degrees  of  scarlet,  crimson,  purple,  carmine,  rose,  yel- 
low, and  violet,  down  to  white.  It  is  useless  to  indicate 
varieties  by  name,  as  the  annual  improvements  being  made 
will  possibly  cause  those  which  rank  as  the  best  of  to-day 
to  appear  of  inferior  merit  in  two  years  hence. 

Gladioluses  are  of  the  easiest  culture  ;  in  this  district^ 
planted  out  the  first  week  in  May,  they  will  be  in  bloom  in 
July,  and  by  making  successive  plantings  every  two  weeks 
to  the  middle  of  July  they  can  be  had  in  perfection  until 
the  first  of  November.  Although  they  are  not  at  all  par- 
ticular about  soil,  yet,  if  choice  can  be  had,  a  sandy  loam, 
peat,  or  a  soil  of  decomposed  leaves  is  better  suited  than 
a  stiff  clayey  soil.  In  any  soil  the  flowers  will  be  larger 
and  richer  in  color  if  the  bed  be  well  enriched  with  ma- 
nure. All  bulbs  of  the  Gladiolus  will  flower  if  over  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter ;  but  of  course  the  larger 
will  be  likely  to  produce  larger  spikes  of  flowers. 


CAPE    BULBS VARIETIES    AND    CULTURE.  157 

They  should  be  taken  up  as  soon  as  the  stems  begin  to 
wither  in  fall ;  but  should  the  stalk  of  the  late  plantings 
be  yet  green,  the  bulbs  should  be  left  adhering  to  the 
stalk  until  dried,  which  will  tend  to  ripen  off  the  bulbs. 
They  may  be  kept  in  winter  under  the  stage  of  the  green 
house  in  a  frost-proof  cellar  or  closet,  or,  in  short,  in  any 
place  where  potatoes  can  be  kept  with  safety. 

AMARYLLIS. 

Next  to  Gladiolus  under  this  head  may  be  named  the 
Amaryllis.  The  bulbs  may  be  planted  in  July,  August, 
or  September,  (if  in  pots  not  less  than  eight  inches  in  di- 
ameter), in  rich,  light  soil.  The  flower  spike  will  be  de- 
veloped in  October  or  November.  They  are  best  grown  in 
pots  in  this  latitude,  as  they  are  liable  to  be  injured  by 
fall  frosts  if  left  to  flower  in  the  open  border.  The  plants 
should  be  kept  growing  for  some  months  after  flowering, 
so  as  to  develop  the  bulb  for  future  flowering ;  but  they 
should  be  dried  off  for  some  months  previous  to  the  time  of 
planting.  The  species  are : 

A,  Belladonna.     (Belladonna  Lily),  pale  pink. 

A.  aulica. — Flowers  large,  green  and  scarlet. 

A,  blanda, — Flowers  immensely  large  ;  whitish. 

A.  purpurea. — (Vallota),  dwarf,  bright  scarlet. 

A,  vittata.— Striped,  rose  and  white. 

A,  formosissima. — (Jacobean  Lily),  rich  crimson. 

NERINE. 

The  following,  with  other  species,  are  plants  requiring 
treatment  similar  to  the  Amaryllis,  and  well  worthy  of 
general  cultivation : 

Nerine  undulata,  (carmine). 

Hi  currifolia,  (scarlet). 

N.  SarniensiS. — (Guernsey  Lily)  (crimson). 


158  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 


A  pretty  genus  of  bulbs,  of  easy  culture ;  their  season 
of  rest  is  the  dry  summer  months.  The  bulbs  should  be 
planted  eight  or  ten  in  a  pot  in  October,  and  kept  in  a  green- 
house or  cold  frame,  where  they  will  flower  abundantly 
in  February,  March,  or  April,  according  to  the  variety. 
There  are  numerous  species,  of  which  we  name  a  few  of 
the  most  distinct. 

•  cristata. — Rich  shade  of  rose. 
capitata.— White  and  blue, 
conica, — Orange. 
.  crocata. — Orange  yellow. 
maculata. — Spotted. 
patens. — Purple. 
.  viridiflora. — Green,  yellow  and  black. 


A  genus  allied  to  Ixia,  requiring  similar  treatment  in 
every  respect.    We  name  six  of  the  most  distinct. 
S,  anemonaeflora,— White. 
S.  bicolor, — Blue  and  yellow. 
S.  blanda,— Deep  rose. 
S.  grandiflora. — Large  purple. 
S.  tricolor. — Yellow,  purple  and  crimson. 
S.  versicolor.— Purple  and  orange. 

ANOMATHECA  CRUENTA  AND  JUNCEA. 

These,  if  planted  in  pots  in  January  and  February,  and 
turned  out  in  the  open  borders  in  May,  will  bloom  abund- 
antly during  the  early  summer  months. 

ORNTTHOGALUM  AUBEUlf. 

This  species  of  Ornithogalum  is  orange  and  black,  and, 
with  many  other  species,  may  be  treated  like  the  preced- 


CAPE   BULBS VARIETIES   AND   CULTURE.  159 

ing.  They  are  interesting  and  attractive  plants,  the  co*- 
ors  being  principally  white,  yellow,  or  orange,  occasionally 
marked  with  brownish-black  spots  in  the  centre  of  the 
flower. 

LACHENALIAS. 

Lachenalia  tricolor  (yellow,  red  and  green),  L.  pendula 
(yellow  and  red),  L.  quadricolor  (yellow,  red,  purple, 
and  green),  with  many  other  species  of  similar  color,  are 
pretty  little  bulbs,  with  flower  stems  rarely  exceeding  nine 
inches  in  height.  They  are  to  be  potted  in  October  or 
November,  and  kept  in  green-house  temperature,  and  they 
will  bloom  from  January  to  March. 

OTTAT.TS. 

A  varied  and  extensive  genus,  embracing  annuals,  bulbous 
and  tuberous  rooted  plants,  and  even  shrubs.  The  best 
known  and  most  beautiful  of  the  genus  is  0.  versicolor. 
The  flowers  of  this  variety  are  beautiful  in  the  extreme, 
combining  white,  yellow,  rose  and  crimson.  The  bulbs, 
which  are  quite  small,  should  be  planted  an  inch  apart,  in 
pots  six  or  seven  inches  in  diameter,  in  September  or  Octo- 
ber, in  the  soil  previously  named  for  all  bulbs  of  this  de- 
scription. As  soon  as  the  bulbs  have  well  started  to  grow, 
they  should  be  freely  watered,  and  in  ordinary  green-house 
temperature  will  flower  profusely  from  December  to  April. 
0.  canescens  (purple),  0.  cuneifolia  (white),  O.  flava 
(yellow),  and  0.  multiflora  (lilac),  require  similar  treat- 
ment. The  summer  flowering  or  bedding  varieties,  of 
which  there  is  a  large  number,  should  be  kept  dry  in  win- 
ter and  planted  out  in  May,  and  they  will  bloom  in  profu- 
sion during  the  summer  and  fall  months ;  of  this  class  we 
name  0.  Bowiei  (crimson),  0.  carnosa  (yellow),  0. 
crispa  (white),  O.  floribunda,  (rose),  0.  gldbra  (purple), 
and  0.  hirta  (lilac). 

BABIANA. 

A  genus  somewhat  resembling  the  Ixias  in  the  form  of 


160  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

the  flower,  but  having  in  most  of  the  species  downy  leaves ' 
the  treatment  in  all  respects  is  similar  to  Ixias  or  Spar- 
axis.  The  species  are  numerous.  The  following  six  are 
named  as  types  :  B.  bicolor  (blue  and  white),  B.  rubro' 
cyanea  (blue  and  crimson),  B.  spathacea  (light  blue),  B. 
sulphurea  (yellow),  B.  tubata  (red  and  yellow),  B. 
Thuribergii  (white  and  red). 

ELEMANTHUS. 

A  genus  allied  to  the  Amaryllis,  with  bulbs  of  immense 
size,  producing  flowers  of  all  shades  from  white  to  crim- 
son, but  rather  coarse  in  outline.  Culture  same  as  for  the 
Amaryllis. 

TIGRIDIA,    OR  TIGER   FLOWER. 

This  is  not  a  "  Cape  Bulb,"  being  a  native  of  Mexico, 
but  as  it  resembles  in  its  habits  many  of  that  class  we 
place  it  here.  Like  the  Gladiolus,  successive  plantings 
every  two  weeks  from  May  to  July  will  give  a  continuous 
bloom  during  the  summer  months  until  cut  off  by  frost  in 
autumn.  Its  treatment  in  other  respects  may  be  that  of 
the  Gladiolus,  only  that  greater  care  is  necessary  in  keep- 
ing the  bulbs  in  winter.  After  being  dried,  put  them  in 
some  dry  place,  not  too  hot,  where  they  will  not  freeze. 

The  Tiger  FloAver  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all  bulbs, 
and  although  it  has  been  in  cultivation  for  nearly  three- 
quarters  of  a  century,  has  never  been  so  generally  grown 
as  it  deserves  to  be,  probably  from  the  difficulty  of  keep- 
ing the  bulbs  in  winter. 

Its  gaudy,  tulip-like  flowers  are  yellow,  spotted  with 
crimson,  orange,  spotted  violet  red,  and  varying  shades  of 
these  colors  in  the  different  sorts, 

Tigridia  conchiflora.  Tigridia  lutea. 

Tigridia  pavonia.  Tigridia  violacea. 


CULTURE    OF    WINTER-FLOWERING  PLANTS.  161 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

CULTURE  OF  WINTER  FLOWERING  PLANTS. 

The  demand  for  flowers  in  winter  has  steadily  kept  pace 
with  the  supply,  even  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  per- 
haps half  a  million  of  dollars  has  been  invested  in  stock 
and  in  green-houses  for  that  special  purpose  within  the  past 
five  years.  Perhaps  no  place  surpasses,  if  it  equals  this,  in 
the  extent  of  its  flower  business  or  in  the  systematic  man- 
ner in  which  it  is  carried  on.  The  variety  of  plants  used 
for  this  purpose  is  not  so  extensive  as  might  be  supposed ; 
the  following,  comprising  the  leading  sorts,  are  named  in 
the  order  of  their  value  and  importance  for  cut  flowers. 

1st.  Camellias,  Carnations,  Violets ;  2nd.  Roses,  Tube- 
roses, Double  Primroses;  3rd.  Bouvardias,  Stevias,  Eu- 
patoriums;  4th.  Heliotropes,  Poinsettia  pulcberrima,  Eu- 
phorbia jacquiniflora ;  5th.  Stock  Gillies,  Begonia  Sander- 
sonii  and  others,  Fuchsia  speciosa;  6th.  Jessamines,  Bal- 
sams, Bignonias  of  all  sorts;  7th.  Hyacinths,  Mignonette, 
Sweet  Alyssum ;  8th.  Azaleas,  Heaths  and  Ageratum. 

We  will  give  descriptions  of  the  manner  of  growing  the 
plants  above  enumerated,  which  will  be  more  or  less  ex- 
tended as  the  importance  of  the  variety  seems  to  require. 

CAMELLIAS. 

Camellias  are  the  most  important  of  all  flowers  used  in 
the  construction  of  baskets  or  bouquets,  and  hence  are 
placed  first  on  the  list.  They  are  now  grown  to  an 
extent  truly  surprising  for  that  purpose  in  all  our  large 
cities  and  their  surrounding  neighborhoods.  Philadel- 
phia, until  recently,  was  the  great  Camellia  mart, 
but  of  late  years  two  or  three  establishments  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  York  are  making  such  rapid  strides 
that  the  Philadelphia  florists  cannot  long  compete  with 
those  of  New  York. 


1G2  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

The  advance  of  the  New  York  establishments  is  due, 
without  doubt,  to  their  more  rapid  manner  of  propaga- 
tion. While  the  Philadelphia  florist  contents  himself  with 
the  slow  but  sure  practice  of  inarching,  the  New  York 
Camellia-grower  is  making  nearly  a  do^en  plants  to  his 
one,  by  the  method,  equally  safe  to  him,  of  grafting. 

The  process  of  inarching  the  Camellia,  or  grafting  by 
approach,  is  usually  performed  in  July,  by  slicing  off  a 
thin  portion  of  the  stock  and  a  corresponding  portion  of 
the  variety  to  be  inarched.  The  slice  pared  off  should 
be  deep  enough  to  take  a  portion  of  the  wood  off  with  the 
bark,  and  of  about  two  inches  in  length  ;  the  parts  should 
be  so  joined  that  at  least  one  side  shall  closely  meet,  and 
there  be  tied  moderately  firm,  to  keep  them  in  place 
until  they  have  grown  together. 

If  done  in  July,  the  part  inarched  may  be  cut  from  the 
parent  stem  in  October. 

Grafting  the  Camellia,  in  our  opinion,  is  just  as  much 
an  improvement  over  inarching  as  growing  a  grape-vine 
or  rose  from  a  cutting  is  over  the  ungardener-like  practice 
of  growing  it  from  layers.  I  am  aware  that  in  many  hands 
the  grafting  of  the  Camellia  has  proved  a  failure,  not  so  much 
due  to  anything  wrong  in  the  way  the  mechanical  part 
of  the  operation  was  performed  as  to  the  wrong  time  it 
was  done.  The  best  time  in  our  climate  to  graft  the  Ca- 
mellia is  from  the  15th  of  August  to  the  15th  of  September; 
at  such  times  the  sap  is  in  just  the  right  condition  to  form 
the  proper  callosity  to  cause  an  adherence  of  the  parts. 
Figure  51  shows  the  operation,  which  is  of  the  simplest 
kind ;  the  main  point  to  be  looked  to  being  the  accurate 
junction  of  the  parts,  at  one  side  at  least,  and  careful  tying 
up,  to  keep  the  graft  in  place.  After  the  operation,  the 
next  point  of  importance  is  the  place  in  which  the  plants 
are  put.  It  will  be  understood  that  the  graft  is  in  some 
respects  analogous  to  a  cutting,  being  a  detached  part  of  a 
plant  with  nothing  to  support  it  as  yet,  and  that  the  same 


CULTURE    OF   THE    CAMELLIA.  163 

points  to  be  observed  in  the  rooting  of  a  cutting  must  be 
attended  to  in  the  graft ;  hence  we  place  them  in  a  position 
where  they  will  be  safe  from  a  high  temperature  and  a  dry 
atmosphere,  which  would  be  as  quickly  fatal  to  the  graft 
as  to  the  cutting.  The  best  place,  then,  for  Camellias  in 
process  of  grafting  is  in  a  shaded  frame  or  green-house, 
where  the  lowest  temperature  possible  at  that  season  can 


Fig.  51. — GRAFTING  THE   CAMELLIA. 

be  kept  without  allowing  a  current  of  air  to  play  directly  on 
the  plants.  Where  the  operation  is  done  extensively,  a 
frame  is  made  inside  the  green-house  in  which  the  plants 
are  placed  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  currents  of  air. 

It  is  quite  a  nice  point  to  regulate  the  due  proportion  of 
water ;  as  the  stock  is  partially  cut  down,  with  but  few 
leaves  left  to  elaborate  the  sap,  it  follows  that  only  as 
much  water  should  be  given  as  will  keep  the  plants  from 
becoming  too  dry  ;  for  this  reason,  if  there  is  danger  to  be 
apprehended  from  rain  or  other  sources  of  moisture,  the 


164  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTUKE. 

pots  are  laid  on  their  sides,  to  prevent  the  soil  from  getting 
excessively  wet. 

The  stocks  on  which  the  Camellia  is  inarched  or  graft- 
ed are  raised  from  cuttings  of  the  single  or  strong-grow- 
ing double  varieties.  Many  of  the  double  sorts  make  as 
good  plants  raised  from  cuttings  as  by  being  grafted. 
This  is  not  the  case  with  the  double  white,  which  is  the 
most  valuable  of  all  for  winter  flowers.  The  cuttings  are 
made  from  the  ripened  young  wood,  and  are  treated  in 
the  usual  way,  (See  chapter  on  Propagation.) 

The  Camellia  is  not  at  all  particular  as  regards  soil,  and 
may  be  seen  luxuriating  in  those  of  very  different  charac? 
ters.  The  great  points  are  a  humid  atmosphere,  a  temper- 
ature in  winter  not  exceeding  50°,  in  summer  weather 
keeping  them  out  of  doors  or  in  the  green-house,  and  partial 
protection  from  the  full  rays  of  the  sun. 

Large  numbers  are  'now  being  planted  out  in  green- 
houses  specially  erected  for  the  purpose  ;  in  this  way  they 
grow  with  great  luxuriance,  and  the  flowers  are  usually 
finer  than  when  grown  in  pots.  Caution  must  be  used 
not  to  stimulate  a  second  growth  in  summer  by  undue 
watering,  else  they  may  make  another  growth  to  the  des- 
truction of  the  flower  buds.  The  Camellia  cannot  safely 
be  "  forced  "  to  produce  early  flowers  by  applying  heat  in 
fall  or  whiter,  but  to  have  flowers  early  the  forcing  must 
be  done  in  spring,  while  the  plants  are  making  their  growth ; 
at  this  time  they  will  stand  a  temperature  of  60  or  65  de- 
grees at  night  with  safety.  Kept  warm  at  this  season, 
the  buds  set  early,  and  produce  early  flowers  in  fall  and 
winter.  By  thus  forcing  in  spring  for  two  seasons,  the 
greater  part  of  the  crop  of  Camellia  flowers  will  be  ob- 
tained by  the  holidays,  at  which  season  they  are  most 
valued. 

Of  the  varieties  used  for  cut  flowers  the  whites  are  those 
prized  most ;  of  these  we  have  Double  White  and  Fim- 
briata  as  the  early  sorts,  and  Candidissima  as  the  late. 


CULTURE    OF   THE   CARNATION.  165 

Of  the  other  white  sorts,  none  flower  abundantly  enough 
to  make  them  profitable,  except  Lady  Hume,  which,  how- 
ever, is  tinged  with  blush.  It  is  somewhat  singular  that 
though  the  Camellia  has  been  extensively  cultivated  for 
thirty  years,  we  have  no  white  varieties  originating 
in  all  that  time  that  have  equalled  these  four  sorts  in 
their  peculiar  qualities.  Of  colored  sorts  we  have  some 
hundreds ;  prominent  among  them  and  of  different  styles 
of  marking  and  color,  are  Imbricata,  crimson  and  white, 
Landrethii,  bright  rose;  Benneyii,  crimson  striped  white; 
Wilderii,  scarlet  crimson;  Sacco  Nora,  pink  marbled 
rose ;  Downing,  deep  carmine  blotched  white ;  Duchess 
of  Orleans,  striped  pink  and  white;  Conspersa,  carmine 
striped ;  Reine  des  Fleurs,  dark  crimson. 

In  market  the  value  of  the  flowers  and  even  plants  of 
the  white  sorts  is  double  that  of  the  colored.  The  average 
wholesale  price  of  White  Camellia  flowers  in  New  York 
from  December  to  April  may  be  $15  per  100;  colored 
sorts  do  not  bring  half  that  price,  and  are  in  little  demand. 

CARNATIONS. 

In  the  first  edition  we  named  the  Carnation  as  next  in 
value  to  the  Camellia  as  a  winter-flowering  plant,  but 
since  then  the  Rose  has  become  the  leading  flower,  even 
surpassing  the  Camellia  in  popularity.  The  Carnation  is 
still  grown  by  us  in  very  large  quantities. 

The  cultivation  of  the  Carnation  is  very  simple.  It  is 
rooted  from  cuttings  at  any  time  from  October  to  April, 
and  as  the  plant  is  almost  hardy,  it  may  be  planted  out 
with  safety  in  the  open  ground  in  early  spring  as  soon  as 
cabbage,  lettuce,  or  any  other  plant  of  that  nature.  Many, 
for  want  of  this  knowledge,  keep  Carnations  in  the  green- 
house or  pits  until  such  time  as  tender  plants  are  set  out 
in  May,  thereby  not  only  having  the  useless  trouble  of 
taking  care  of  them,  but  depriving  them  of  six  weeks  of  a 
season  well  adap'.ed  to  their  growth. 


166  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

They  are  best  planted  out  in  beds  of  six  rows,  nine 
inches  apart,  and  the  same  distance  between  the  plants, 
with  eighteen-inch  alleys  between  the  beds.  The  Carna- 
tion is  very  impatient  of  a  wet  soil,  and  care  should  be 
taken  that  the  land  be  made  dry  by  draining  or  otherwise. 
As  the  Carnations  grow  they  throw  up  flower  shoots,  which 
must  be  cut  off  all  through  the  season,  until  about  the  1st 
or  15th  of  September.  If  the  plants  are  wanted  for  winter 
flowering,  this  cutting  back  of  the  flower  shoots  induces  a 
dwarf  and  stocky  growth,  which  is  very  desirable  in  the 
Carnation.  If  they  are  grown  in  large  quantities  for  win- 
ter flowering,  by  far  the  best  way  is  to  plant  them  on  the 
benches  of  the  green-house,  at  about  the  same  distance  as 
they  were  growing  outside,  any  time  in  October ;  but  if  only 
a  few  are  required,  to  mix  in  with  a  general  collection  of 
plants,  it  is  more  convenient  to  grow  them  in  pots,  so  that 
they  may  be  moved  about  as  may  be  necessary.  Of  the 
varieties  grown,  though  we  have  some  hundreds,  as  in 
the  case  of  Roses,  we  have  only  a  few  suited  for  winter 
flowering.  Of  these,  so  far,  the  most  productive  is  La 
Purite,  a  deep  carmine  variety;  next,  a  variegated  variety 
of  the  preceding.  Among  whites,  Maimie  and  De- 
graw  take  the  lead.  In  yellows,  we  have  Astoria  and 
De  Fontana,  but  these  fall  far  short  of  the  others  in  pro- 
ductiveness of  flowers. 

The  flowers  of  La  Purite  and  other  colored  sorts  sell  in 
New  York  at  $2  per  100,  the  whites  usually  at  $3  per  100. 
Even  at  these  low  prices  they  are  a  fairly  profitable  crop, 
as  the  bulk  of  the  flowers  is  given  previous  to  the  middle 
of  January,  when  the  forced  plants,  being  of  but  little  use, 
are  usually  thrown  out  to  make  room  for  other  plants.  Al- 
though the  Carnation  is  nearly  a  hardy  plant  and  may  be 
kept  anywhere  in  winter  in  a  cold  green-house  or  pit,  even 
if  occasionally  slightly  frozen,  yet  it  is  also  susceptible  of 
being  forced  freely.  "We  usually  keep  our  houses,  when 
we  are  forcing  for  flowers,  at  from  50°  to  60°  at  night. 


CULTURE    OF    THE    VIOLET.  167 


The  demand  for  Violet  flowers  during  the  winter 
months  in  all  our  large  cities  is  yearly  increasing  in  a 
wonderful  degree.  For  the  New  York  market  alone  it  is 
estimated  that  two  acres,  or  nearly  100,000  square  feet,  of 
glass  is  now  used  for  growing  Violets  alone ;  some  grow- 
ers make  it  an  exclusive  business  and  grow  nothing 
else.  It  is  not  always  a  success  with  every  one  attempt- 
ing it ;  hence  the  price  has  kept  steadily  up  to  the  highest 
rates  of  past  years.  To  those  who  are  successful,  the  busi- 
ness is  always  a  profitable  one.  The  following  brief  but  prac- 
tical notes  are  from  Messrs.  Norton  Bros.,  of  Dorchester, 
Mass.,  who  have  been  among  the  most  successful  of  any  in 
the  trade  in  forcing  Violets  during  the  winter  months. 

"  The  variety  used  is  the  double  blue  Neapolitan.  We 
separate  the  plants  to  one  good  crown,  with  roots,  and 
plant  out  in  the  open  ground  about  the  20th  of  April,  at 
distances  of  about  one  foot  each  way.  Nothing  is  done 
to  them  until  the  first  week  in  September,  except  to  keep 
them  well  hoed  and  clear  of  weeds.  They  are  then 
thinned  out  to  six  or  eight  crowns,  selecting  such  as  are 
the  strongest  and  taking  off  all  the  runners  and  weak 
shoots,  the  principle  being  exactly  the  same  as  in  preparing 
good  stools  of  strawberries  for  fruit.  About  the  last  week 
in  September  the  plants  are  dug  up  with  balls  and  planted 
on  the  shelves  of  the  green-house  in  six  or  eight  inches  of 
well-enriched,  fresh  loam. 

Shading  and  watering  are  necessary  if  the  weather  is 
clear  and  dry,  and,  until  the  end  of  October,  air  should  be 
given  freely.  The  temperature  at  night  should  average 
not  more  than  50  degrees.  As  the  plants  begin  to 
grow,  all  yellow  leaves,  weeds,  and  runners,  should  be 
carefully  removed,  so  as  to  admit  air  and  light  to  the 
flowers.  From  a  green-house  75  feet  long  with  a  table  or 


168 


PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 


bench  room  of  8  feet  wide,  we  sold  last  year  our  crop   of 

Violets  hi  Boston  at  the  following  rates  : 

October  averaged  84.25  per  day,  price,  75c.  per  100. 
November     "  4.75         "  $1.00 

December      "  5.25         "  1.25         " 

January         "  6.00         "  1.25         " 

February       "  8.75         "  1.25         " 

March  "         10.25         "  1.00         " 

The  aggregate  for  six  months  exceeding  81,000." 

This  was  a  most  excellent  result,  and  the  crop  would 


— KD.-G  OF  VIOLETS. 


have  paid  well  at  half  these  rates,  which,  however,  arq 
quite  double  those  of  New  York.     Besides,  it  will  be   ob- 


CULTURE    OP    THE    VIOLET.  169 

served  that  the  date  only  extended  to  March,  after  which 
the  glass,  no  doubt,  was  employed  nearly  equally  well  by 
Messrs.  Norton  in  the  growing  of  bedding  plants,  to  meet 
their  sales  of  such  articles  in  May. 

There  are  quite  a  number  of  varieties  of  sweet  Violets, 
but  the  double  blue  Neapolitan  thus  far  seems  the  one 
most  suitable  for  forcing.  The  other  varieties  we  name 
in  the  order  of  their  merit. 

Marie  Louise, — Double  blue,  much  darker  and  larger 
than  the  Double  Neapolitan,  equally  fragrant  and  abund- 
ant in  blooming.  It  flowers  somewhat  earlier  in  the  fall, 
and  is  rather  more  impatient  of  artificial  heat.  In  cold 
frames,  kept  so  that  they  do  not  freeze,  it  gives  abund- 
ance of  bloom  until  the  holidays. 

Schociibrun, — Single  blue,  very  prolific. 

King  Of  Violets, — Very  large  double  blue  flowers,  one 
inch  in  diameter. 

Queen  Of  Violets, — Blush  white,  very  double. 

Double  White  Neapolitan,— Double  white. 

EOSES. 

Our  system  of  forcing  Roses  for  winter  will  be  found  in 
the  chapter  on  Rose  culture.  We  will  merely  refer  to  the 
prices  paid  and  the  relative  value  of  the  Rose  as  a  profit- 
able plant  for  that  purpose.  The  price  ranges  from  $8  per 
100  buds  in  November  until  Christmas,  at  which  date, 
and  until  the  holidays  are  past  they  average  $8  per  100, 
but  again  fall  off  to  $4  or  $5,  at  which  rates  they  continue 
until  May  or  June.  It  will  be  understood  that  these  are 
the  wholesale  rates ;  at  retail  they  bring  nearly  treble. 

TUBEROSES. 

The  methods  of  forcing  will  be  found  fully  detailed  in 
the  chapter  on  the  Tuberose,  and  we  will  merely  say  here 
that  in  our  own  experience  the  Tuberose,  as  a  plant  to  force 
for  winter  sale,  has  proved  one  of  the  most  profitable  of  all 


170  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

that  we  have  tried  for  that  purpose.  The  crop,  even  at 
what  may  be  termed  the  low  rate  of  $4  per  100  florets, 
has  netted  ns  $1,000  for  one  of  our  11x100  feet  struc- 
tures, and  that,  too,  during  December,  from  dry  roots 
planted  in  August. 

DOUBLE    WHITE   CHINESE   PRIMROSE. 

This  ranks  high  a.4  a  winter  flowering  plant,  being  pro- 
ductive in  a  wonderful  degree,  as  many  as  a  thousand 
florets  often  being  picked  from  one  plant.  It  is  of  easy 
culture  during  the  fall,  winter,  and  spring  months,  but  re- 
quires careful  handling  during  summer.  We  find  it 
thrives  best  in  summer  in  a  cool  green-house,  having  the 
sashes  lightly  painted  with  whitewash, — say  from  June  1st 
to  November  1st ;  but  as  fall  advances,  the  whitewash 
should  be  partially  rubbed  off,  to  accomodate  the  lessened 
force  of  the  sun's  rays  at  that  season.  By  the  1st  of  Novem- 
ber it  should  be  all  cleaned  off.  It  is  always  grown  in  pots 
of  a  size  to  correspond  to  the  size  or  degree  of  vigor  of  the 
plant.  The  soil  used  contains  about  one  half  part  leaf 
mould  or  decayed  refuse  hops.  It  being  a  very  fine  rooted 
plant  it  requires  the  mechanical  condition  to  be  soft  and 
easily  penetrated  by  its  thread-like  roots.  It  may  be  grown 
in  a  temperature  varying  at  night  from  50  to  60  degrees. 
It  is  usually  propagated  by  dividing  the  roots,  though  this 
is  but  a  slow  way  of  increase,  and  by  no  means  so  well  fitted 
to  make  healthy  plants,  as  by  making  cuttings  of  the  side 
shoots  in  the  usual  way.  Cuttings  taken  off  in  March  will 
root  in  four  weeks,  and  by  fall,  with  ordinary  care,  make 
plants  large  enough  to  produce  an  average  of  500  florets 
during  the  winter. 

The  average  price  for  the  winter  is  fifty  cents  per  100 
florets.  There  are  now  some  four  or  five  double  colored 
varieties,  with  colors  ranging  from  light  rose  to  crimson  ; 
they  are  yet,  however,  quite  scarce  here.  Their  culture 
and  propagation  are  identical  with  that  of  the  double  white. 


CULTURE    OF    THE    BOUVARDIA.  171 

BOUVAKDIAS. 

Bouvardias  are  grown  in  immense  quantities,  occupying 
an  area  nearly  as  large  as  that  of  the  monthly  Carnations 
in  our  green-houses.  They  are  mainly  propagated  by 
pieces  of  the  roots  (see  Propagation)  in  April,  and  when 
these  have  thrown  up  a  growth  of  2  or  3  inches  they  are 
potted  in  two-inch  pots  and  planted  out  in  the  open 
ground  at  a  distance  of  9  or  10  inches  apart,  in  the  latter 
part  of  May.  Some  of  the  varieties,  such  as  Hendersonii 
and  Wilsonii,  being  "  sports,"  that  is,  what  Darwin  calls 
"bud  variations,"  seem  to  have  the  variation  hi  the  shoots 
and  flowers  only,  and  not  extending  to  the  roots ;  hence  in 
the  case  of  Hendersonii,  which  is  a  sport  from  the  Car- 
mine variety  Hogarth,  but  with  almost  white  flowers,  if 
we  propagate  it  from  pieces  of  the  root  the  flowers  will  be 
of  the  carmine  color  of  the  original  Hogarth. 

In  such  cases,  to  perpetuate  these  rare  and  valuable  va- 
rieties, recourse  must  be  had  to  propagation  by  cuttings, 
which  is  best  done,  however,  from  June  to  September,  as 
the  Bouvardia,  being  a  hot-house  plant,  grows  and  de- 
velops roots  most  freely  in  a  high  temperature.  The  plants 
that  have  been  put  out  in  the  open  ground  in  May  will 
have  grown  to  a  fine,  bushy  form  by  September  1st,  if  due 
attention  has  been  given  to  nipping  off  the  tops  every  two 
weeks  during  summer.  By  this  date  they  should  be  taken 
up  and  potted ;  if  possible,  they  should  be  lifted  with  balls 
of  earth  adhering  to  the  roots,  as  they  wilt  very  easily, 
and  the  plants  require  great  care  in  lifting.  In  any 
case,  it  is  necessary  to  shade  and  freely  water  for  six  or 
seven  days  before  exposing  them  to  full  sun.  They  had 
better  be  stood  in  the  open  ground  or  in  a  cold  frame,  after 
being  potted,  rather  than  put  in  a  green-house,  as  it  is  very 
necessary  that  they  be  fully  exposed  to  light  and  air  for 
as  long  a  time  as  possible,  before  placing  them  in  their 
winter  quarters  in  the  green-house.  They  should  be  put 


172  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

into  the  green-house,  or  some  place  where  they  can  be 
sheltered  by  sashes,  before  there  is  danger  to  be  appre- 
hended from  frost,  as  the  Bouvardia  is  a  very  tender  plant, 
and  will  be  injured  by  a  very  slight  degree  of  frost.  They 


Fig.  53. — BOUVARDIA  HENBERSONII. 

may  either  be  grown  in  pots,  or  planted  out  from  the  pots 
on  to  the  benches,  as  we  do  with  Carnations  and  many 
other  things.  Our  own  practice,  as  we  have  before  said, 
is  to  set  all  such  plants  out  in  the  benches,  as  the  flowers 


STEVIAS    AXD    EUPATORIITilS.  173 

produced  are  much  finer,  owing  to  their  having  a  more 
regular  condition  of  moisture  at  the  roots ;  besides,  this 
gives  a  greater  area  for  the  roots  to  run  in.  We  have 
said  the  Bouvardia  is  a  hot-house  plant ;  therefore  if  flowers 
are  wanted  in  the  early  part  of  winter,  the  temperature  at 
night  should  range  from  55  to  60  degrees.  The  leading 
varieties  of  Bouvardia  are, 

Hogarth. — Deep  carmine. 

"        Hendersonii,— French  white.     Figure  53. 

Lei  an  til  a, — Scarlet,  yellow  anthers. 
"          floribunda. — Orange  scarlet. 
"          gr  an  di  flora, — Flame  color,  very  large. 
"          splendens, — Crimson  scarlet. 

Jasminoides.— Pure  white. 

Davidson!  • — Pure  white,  most  valuable. 

Nothing  that  is  grown  is  more  productive  of  flowers, 
and  a  house  filled  with  the  different  varieties  in  full  bloom 
has  a  dazzling  effect. 

The  price  paid  by  the  trade  averages  about  $1.50  per 
100  trusses. 

STEVIAS   AND   ETJPATOKIUMS. 

Stevias  and  Eupatoriums  are  used  for  whiter,  and  are 
white-flowering  plants,  of  no  particular  beauty  in  them- 
selves, but  admirably  adapted  from  their  feath  cry-like 
sprays,  for  mixing  in  with  bright-colored  flowers.  They 
are  of  easy  propagation,  and  being  of  rampant  growth, 
had  better  always  be  grown  in  pots  throughout  the  sum- 
mer— plunging  the  pots  to  the  rim  in  the  usual  way,  to 
save  watering.  They  can  all  be  grown  to  flower  in  a  low 
green-house  temperature,  and  as  many  of  them  bloom 
rather  early  in  the  winter,  every  expedient  is  used  to  keep 
them  as  cold  as  possible,  without  freezing. 

Stevia  compacta  flowers  during  November. 

Stevia  serrata  flowers  in  December. 


174  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

Enpatorium  arboreum  flowers  from  November  to  Jan- 
uary, by  retarding  portions  in  cold  frames. 
Eupatorium  salicifolium  flowers  throughout  January ; 
Eupatorium  elegans  from  February  to  March. 
The  flowers  rate  at  about  the  same  price  as  Bouvardia. 

HELIOTROPES. 

The  manner  of  growing  the  Heliotrope  for  winter  flowers 
is  nearly  identical  with  that  of  the  Stevia  or  Eupatorium, 
during  the  summer  months ;  only,  like  the  Bouvardia,  it 
requires  heat  to  bring  the  flowers  out  in  profusion  in  win- 
ter. The  varieties  best  adapted  for  forcing  are : 
Jane  Mesmer,  Oculata, 

Boule  de  Neige,  Surprise, 

The  Standard.  Elegantissima. 

The  Heliotrope  flowers  without  intermission  during  the 
entire  season,  if  kept  growing. 

Value  about  the  same  as  the  Bouvardia. 

POINSETTIA   PULCHERRIMA. 

The  Poinsettia  pulcherrima  is  grown  from  cuttings  of 
the  green  or  of  the  ripened  wood  in  April  or  May,  and 
shifted  as  required  during  the  summer,  plunging  the  pots 
in  beds  in  the  open  ground.  It  must  be  placed  in  winter 
quarters  before  the  weather  has  become  cold  enougli  to 
chill  it,  as  it  is  a  tender  tropical  plant,  and  requires  a  hot- 
house temperature  of  not  less  than  60°  for  its  full  develop- 
ment. 

Grown  in  this  heat,  it  is  a  plant  of  the  most  gorgeous 
beauty,  the  bracts  or  leaves  surrounding  the  flower  aver- 
aging, on  well-grown  plants,  one  foot  in  diameter ;  grown 
as  a  hot-house  plant,  it  is  in  full  perfection  at  the  holidays, 
and  is  now  largely  used  for  decoration.  Many  thousand 
heads  are  sold  in  New  York  annually,  at  an  average  of 
$25  per  100. 


FUCHSIAS    AND    JASMINES.  175 

Euphorbia  jaquiniflora  and  splendens  are  plants  of  the 
same  family  as  Poinsettia  and  require  similar  treatment  in 
all  respects.  The  former,  from  its  style  of  growth,  is  much 
used  for  wreathing,  but  neither  of  them  are  as  yet  exten- 
sively grown. 

BEGONIAS— OP   SORTS. 

The  Begonias  cultivated  for  winter  blooming  have 
drooping  Fuchsia-like  flowers  of  different  shades  from 
white  to  scarlet,  and  are  used  to  a  considerable  extent  as 
a  "  fringe  flower  "  for  sides  of  baskets  and  vases.  San- 
dersonii  and  Fuchsioides  are  the  best,  having  bright 
scarlet  flowers  produced  in  great  abundunce,  Carnea,  a 
rich  pink,  and  Marmorata,  a  flesh-colored  sort,  are  also 
desirable. 

FUCHSIAS. 

There  are  but  few  varieties  of  Fuchsias  adapted  for 
continuous  blooming  in  winter,  but  these  are  very 
desirable,  and  whether  grown  as  ornamental  specimens 
for  the  conservatory  or  for  cutting  for  flowers,  they  are 
much  valued. 

The  best  three  in  our  experience  are  F.  bianca  margin- 
ata,  a  white-sepaled  variety  with  crimson  corolla ;  F.  spe- 
ciosa,  flesh-colored  sepals  with  scarlet  corolla ;  and  F.  ser- 
ratifolia,  greenish  sepals  with  bright  orange  scarlet  corolla. 
This  last  is  of  a  particularly  bright  and  unique  color,  differ- 
ing entirely  from  all  other  Fuchsias.  Two-year-old  plants 
bloom  in  the  greatest  profusion,  plants  one  foot  in  diame- 
ter giving  upwards  of  100  flowers,  which  are  much 
esteemed  for  their  rare  color. 

JASMINUM  GBANDLFLOBTJM. 

This  is  grown  to  the  best  advantage  by  permanent  plant- 
ing out  in  the  green-house,  and  training  to  a  rafter  or  tre!- 


176  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

lis.    Its  pure  white  flowers  and  delicious  fragrance  make 
it  much  prized  at  all  seasons. 

DOUBLE  BALSAMS. 

If  sown  in  August  and  potted  into  6  or  7-inch  pots, 
m  light,  ;vann  hot-houses,  these  will  flower  until  the  holi- 
days 

B1.5NONIA   VENTTSTA   AND   JASMINOEDES. 

These  are  green-house  climbers,  which  only  do  well  as 
permanent  rafter  plants,  usually  not  flowering  until  they 
are  two  or  three  years  old ;  by  that  time,  however,  they 
usually  cover  the  rafters  to  a  length  of  20  or  30  feet.  B. 
venusta  is  bright  orange;  B.  jasminoides  is  purple  and 
white,  and  its  flowers  are  formed  in  immense  clusters  and 
are  extensively  used  during  winter.  The  colors  of  both, 
although  entirely  different,  are  also  unlike  our  usual  colors 
of  flowers. 

HYACINTHS. 

Hyacinths  are  used  quite  extensively  in  the  late  winter 
months,  but  are  not  generally  obtainable  in  good  condi- 
tion before  February,  as,  to  give  them  justice,  they  re- 
quire to  be  kept  a  considerable  tune  at  a  rather  low  tem- 
perature to  form  their  roots.  Potted  in  September  or  Oc- 
tober and  plunged  so  as  to  exclude  the  bulb  from  the 
light — in  a  cellar  or  under  the  stage  of  the  green-house,  or 
any  similar  place — they  will  form  roots  in  abundance  in  six 
or  eight  weeks,  when  they  may  be  removed  and  placed  on 
the  stage  of  the  green-house  to  flower. 

MIGNONETTE   AND    SWEET   AXYSSUM. 

Sown  in  August  in  a  cold  frame  and  thinned  out  so 
that  the  plants  will  stand  6  or  8  inches  apart,  and  left 
without  the  covering  of  the  sash  until  frost  is  expected  in 
Sept-ember  or  October,  these  will  flower  abundantly  until 

7 


AZALEAS    AND    HEATHS.  177 

January,  if  covered  up  by  sash  and  mats  so  as  to  exclude 
the  frost,  or  they  may  be  sown  in  August  or  September 
and  grown  in  pots  and  flowered  in  a  cold  green-house 
during  the  winter  months. 


These  are  grown  to  a  considerable  extent  as  specimen 
green-house  plants,  propagated  from  the  young  wood  in 
March ;  potted  and  planted  out  in  the  open  ground  in  May 
they  make  fine  plants  by  fall,  but  most  of  the  varieties  do 
not  bloom  freely  until  the  second  year.  The  Azalea  is  a 
plant  having  very  fine  roots,  and  consequently  requires  a 
soil  composed  largely  of  leaf  mould  or  peat  to  grow  to  the 
best  advantage.  There  are  now  several  hundred  sorts, 
many  of  them  of  great  beauty.  They  are  not  considered  a 
suitable  plant  for  bouquets,  being  too  loose  and  flimsy  in 
texture,  but  are  used  to  some  extent  in  baskets  and  vases  of 
flowers,  particularly  the  compact  and  white  flowering  va- 
rieties. 


A  few  of  the  free-growing  winter  flowering  varieties  of 
Heaths  are  well  fitted  for  bouquets;  of  these  Erica  gracilis 
(carmine,)  E.  persaluta-alba,  E.  vernalis  (pink,)  and  E. 
actcea  (white)  are  the  best.  They  are  best  grown  from 
cuttings  of  the  young  wood  in  March,  and  if  planted  out 
in  the  open  ground  in  May,  in  light,  sandy  loam,  will  make 
plants  of  a  size  large  enough  to  flower  in  winter.  They 
are  not  extensively  used  however,  being  less  profitable 
than  many  other  things.  The  Heath  is  justly  considered 
as  one  of  the  finest  of  all  hard- wooded  green-house  plants 
in  Europe,  but  most  of  the  varieties  are  very  difficult  to 
grow  in  our  hot  summers,  so  that  all  those  who  have 
attempted  to  imitate  the  splendid  specimens  seen  in 
the  Botanic  Gardens  of  Edinburgh  or  Dublin,  or  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  of  London,  have  completely  failed. 


178  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

PLANTS  USED  FOR  FOLIAGE. 

In  the  formation  of  cut  flowers  into  bouquets,  etc.,  the 
leaves  form  an  indispensable  part.  In  trimming  the  edges 
of  baskets,  Camellia  leaves  are  much  used,  also  Cissus  dis- 
color, a  climbing  hot-house  plant,  with  brownish-crimson 
leaves  splashed  with  white ;  it  requires  a  temperature  of 
at  least  60  degrees  in  winter,  and  never  develops  its  rich 
coloring  unless  at  a  high  temperature.  Another  most 
graceful  plant,  now  very  extensively  used  for  its  foliage,  is 
Myrsiphyttum  asparagoides  (Smilax);  it  is  unsurpassed 
for  all  kinds  of  floral  decorations,  whether  for  the  person 
or  in  adding  grace  to  floral  ornaments  for  the  table  or 
room.  Its  leaves,  or  what  passes  for  leaves,  are  small  and 
shiny  and  attached  to  very  delicate  wavy  stems,  and  have 
the  quality  of  retaining  their  firmness  for  a  long  time 
without  wilting.  The  plant  is  raised  from  the  seed,  or 
the  roots  may  be  purchased  from  dealers.  The  root  con- 
sists of  a  cluster  of  fleshy  tubers  which  throw  out  several 
slender  stems,  which,  if  furnished  with  supports,  will 
climb  to  the  height  of  20  feet.  Xear  our  large  cities 
houses  are  devoted  exclusively  to  the  cultivation  of 
"  Smilax " — the  roots  being  planted  in  boxes  upon  the 
ground  and  the  stems  trained  by  strings  up  to  the  rafters. 
Rose,  Lemon,  and  Apple-scented  Geraniums  are  used  with 
flowers  in  making  up  bouquets. 

LILT    OF    THE   VALLEY. 

Fashion  rules  in  flowers  the  same  as  in  all  other  mat- 
ters of  ornamentation,  and  for  the  past  two  seasons — 1872 
and  1873 — flowers  of  the  Lily  of  the  Valley  have  been  in 
demand  at  higher  rates  in  proportion  to  their  size  than 
any  other  cultivated  flower,  single  spikes  of  flowers  bring- 
ing from  $10  to  $15  per  100.  The  roots  are  mostly  im- 
ported from  Europe,  the  single  crowns  or  eyes  costing 
about  $25  per  1000.  The  demand  for  them  has  been  so 
great  that  the  quality  of  roots  sent  us  has  been  very  in- 


LILY    OP   THE    VALLEY.  179 

ferior,  so  that  the  attempt  to  flower  them  has  completely 
iailed  in  more  than  half  the  number  of  instances  tried. 

The  method  is  to  place  the  crowns  thickly  together  in 
shallow  boxes,  and  keep  them  cool  for  4  or  5  weeks  after 
planting,  or  until  they  have  formed  roots.  The  tem- 
pe.  ature  is  then  gradually  increased  until  it  reaches  65  or 
70  degrees.  The  glass  should  be  well  shaded.  The  plant 
being  a  native  of  shady  woods,  the  nearer  we  can  imitate 
nature  the  better  will  be  our  success  in  cultivation.  Some 
who  force  this  keep  the  plants  entirely  in  the  dark  until 
the  leaf  and  flower-spikes  are  well  developed. 

JAPANESE   CHRYSANTHEMUM. 

Chrysanthemum  laciniatum,  the  Japanese  Fringe  Flow- 
er, which  is  comparatively  new  to  our  collections,  it 
having  been  introduced  with  several  others  in  1865.  As 
a  Chrysanthemum  merely,  there  is  nothing  remarkable 
about  it,  except  the  fringed  edging  to  the  petals ;  but  last 
year  its  winter-flowering  qualities  were  discovered  by  one 
of  the  leading  flower-growers  for  the  New  York  market ; 
its  blooming  so  late  gives  it  great  value  for  florists'  pur- 
poses. The  flowers  are  double,  nearly  three  inches  in  di- 
ameter, delicately  fringed,  and  of  the  purest  white.  It  is 
this  season  largely  grown  for  winter  bouquets,  etc.,  by 
most  of  our  florists. 


CHAPTER    XXVL 

CONSTRUCTION  OF  BOUQUETS,  BASKETS,  &c.,  &c. 

The  following  chapter  on  making  up  flowers  into 
bouquets,  etc.,  and  descriptive  of  the  various  styles  now  in 
use  hi  New  York  and  vicinity,  has  been  written  by  James 
EL  Park,  of  Brooklyn,  L.  I.  Mr.  Park's  taste  and  judge- 


180  PRACTICAL   FLORICTTLTUBE. 

ment  in  this  business  have  given  him  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion, and  my  readers,  many  of  whom  are  deeply  interested 
on  this  subject,  will,  I  am  certain,  heartily  join  with. me  in 
thanking  him  for  his  clear,  comprehensive,  and  unreserved 
account. 

CONSTETJCTIOX   OF   BOUQUETS,    BASKETS,  ETC. 

With  the  earliest  civilization  of  our  race,  flowers  began 
to  be  cherished,  and  employed  for  decorative  purposes ; 
nor  is  their  arrangement  in  bouquets  a  modern  art,although 
its  practice  is  of  comparatively  recent  and  marvellous 
growth  amongst  us. 

Many  people  decry  the  artificial  arrangement  of  flowers, 
but  how  shall  we  otherwise  use  them  to  advantage? 
The  moment  we  begin  to  tie  them  together  we  leave  nature, 
and  ought  to  do  so  only  to  study  art.  In  their  simplest 
arrangement,  form  and  color  must  be  studied  to  produce 
the  best  effect,  and  whoever  best  accomplishes  this,  will 
surely  succeed  in  displaying  his  flowers  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage. 

Bouquet  making  is  (or  at  least  ought  to  be)  the  art  of 
arranging  flowers.  Who  has  not  seen  bunches  of  beau- 
tiful flowers  cut  from  the  garden  and  tied  up  in  the  least 
artistic  fashion  with  the  most  stupid  result  ?  And  who 
that  has  attended  fashionable  weddings  or  parties  has  not 
occasionally  seen  a  large  bouquet  or  basket  in  which  the 
quantity  of  good  flowers  was  its  only  merit,  where  a  mass 
of  flowers  were  muddled  together  in  a  most  incongruous 
fashion,  equally  removed  from  both  nature  and  art  ?  Nor  is 
this  fault  that  of  the  tyro  in  bouquet  making  only  ;  many 
who  practice  it  as  an  occupation  have  not  learned  the  first 
principles  of  tasteful  arrangement.  Yet  great  allowance 
may  be  made  for  the  bouquet  makers,  when  we  consider 
how  much  like  labor  their  work  becomes.  Any  one,  try- 
ing always  to  execute  this  work  with  taste,  would  scarcely 


CONSTRUCTION    OF    BOUQUETS,    ETC.  181 

accomplish  the  amount  of  work  required  of  him  in  any 
thriving  establishment,  a  great  part  of  which  is  of 
necessity  done  hurriedly ;  and  as  the  variety  of  flowers  is 
so  great  and  constantly  changing  with  the  seasons,  and 
their  colors  so  varied,  it  is  only  by  trying  them  in  various 
combinations  that  the  best  results  can  be  obtained.  Few 
are  willing  to  pay  for  this  kind  of  work.  Many  a 
gardener,  who  is  not  too  well  occupied  in  winter,  might 
make  a  pleasing  study  of  this  little  art,  and  thereby  add 
to  his  own  pleasure  an  i  profit,  as  well  as  those  of  his  em 
ployers. 

Probably  the  simplest,  easiest,  and  commonly  the  most 
desirable,  method  of  using  cut  flowers  is  arranging  them  in 
vases.  The  more  loosely  and  unconfused,  the  better. 
Crowding  is  particularly  to  be  avoided,  and  to  ac- 
complish this  readily  a  good  base  of  greens  is  required,  to 
keep  the  flowers  apart  This  filling  up  is  a  very  important 
part  in  all  bouquet  making,  and  the  neglect  of  it  is  the  great- 
est stumbling-block  of  the  uninitiated.  Spiked  and  droop- 
ing flowers,  with  branches  and  sprays  of  delicate  green,  are 
indispensable  to  the  grace  and  beauty  of  a  vase  bouquet. 
To  preserve  the  individuality  of  flowers,  which  is  of  the 
greatest  importance,  the  placing  those  of  similar  size  and 
form  together  ought  to  be  avoided.  Thus  Heliotrope, 
Stevia,  Eupatorium,  or  Alyssum,  when  combined  lose  their 
distinctive  beauty ;  but,  if  placed  in  juxtaposition  to  larger 
flowers,  and  those  of  other  forms,  their  beauty  is  heighten- 
ed by  contrast.  It  may  be  stated  as  a  rule,  that  small 
flowers  should  never  be  massed  together.  Large  flowers 
with  green  leaves  or  branches  may  be  used  to  advantage 
alone,  but  a  judicious  contrast  of  forms  is  most  effect- 
ive. 

Nothing  is  so  strikingly  beautiful  on  a  refreshment 
table  as  a  handsome  centre-piece  of  flowers.  All  the  airy 
castles  of  the  confectioner  are  passed  over  by  the  eye, 
which  is  at  once  arrested  and  refreshed  by  the  brilliant 


182  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

beauty  of  the  products  of  the  garden  or  conservatory ;  and 
we  wonder  how  any  person  of  taste,  who  possesses  the 
means,  should  ever  fail  to  have  flowers  on  his  table  when 
entertaining  friends.  Considering  the  effect,  flowers  on  the 
table,  like  plants  in  the  garden,  are  certainly  the  cheapest 
of  ornaments.  There  are  those  who  would  have  nothing 
upon  their  table  but  what  they  can  eat  or  drink ;  like  a 
gentleman  who  once  employed  the  writer  of  this  to  lay 
out  a  new  garden,  and  objected  to  having  roses  planted  by 
the  fences,  saying  very  earnestly  "  Ah,  yes !  I  suppose 
they  are  very  pretty,  but  then,  you  see,  we  couldn't  get 
anything  to  eat  from  them.  Guess  we  won't  have  any  of 
them  things."  Luckily  for  the  well-being  of  poor  human- 
ity such  desperately  practical  men  are  not  very  numer- 
ous. An  epergne  filled  with  flowers  forms  the  most  ef- 
fective of  table  bouquets.  For  a  large  dinner  table  this 
bouquet  holder  ought  to  be  from  two  to  three  feet  in 
height,  with  three,  four,  or  five  branches,  and  if  the  table 
is  very  lai'ge,  a  smaller  epergne  at  each  end  will  add  to 
the  effect.  For  a  less  pretentious  table  an  epergne  twelve 
to  eighteen  inches  in  height  may  be  used  to  equal  advant- 
age. The  superiority  of  an  epergne  consists  in  its  raising 
the  flowers  to  a  height  sufficient  to  gain  their  full  effect, 
whereas  forms  of  flowers  built  from  a  lower  vase  lose 
much  by  the  interference  of  surrounding  dishes.  With  a 
handsome  epergne  and  the  flowers  arranged  in  nearly  semi- 
circular outline,  pointed  with  two  or  more  handsome 
flower-spikes,  and  diversified  with  here  and  there  a  fine 
fern  leaf  and  other  sprays  of  lively  green,  with  a  few  fine 
rose-buds  and  spikelets  of  heath,  acacia,  or  similarly  form- 
ed flowers,  projecting  from  the  main  body  to  give  ease  and 
grace,  and  with  a  profusion  of  bright  green  or  variegated 
foliage  and  flowers  in  drooping  sprays  around,  the  best  re- 
sults may  be  attained.  For  such  a  bouquet  a  fair  propor- 
tion of  large  flowers  is  indispensable,  and  an  excess  of 
projecting  points  is  to  be  avoided  as  confusing.  Table 


COXSTKUCTION    OF    BOUQUETS,    ETC. 


183 


bouquets,  made  in  the  fashion  of  the  confectioner's  stiff 
pyramids  of  maccaronies,  are  wretched  decorations, 
and  very  discreditable  to  all  connected  with  them  Bet- 
ter, a  thousand  times,  to  have  half  the  quantity  of  flowers 
decently  arranged. 

Baskets  of  flowers  for  decorating  parlor  tables,  man- 
tels, &c.,  ought  to  be  somewhat  in  keeping  with  their 
surroundings ;  a  rough  bouquet,  adapted  to  grace  a  rus- 
tic table  at  a  picnic,  would  not  be  in  as  good  taste  here 
as  something  finer  and  more  neatly  put  together.  Oval 
and  round  are  the  only  permissible  forms  for  flower 


Fig.  54.— BASKET  OF  FLOWEBS. 

baskets ;  the  flowers  ought  also  to  be  rounding  in  form, 
yet  not  too  much  so.  We  give  an  illustration,  (fig.  54,) 
as  the  easiest  method  of  conveying  our  idea  of  the 
best  outline.  The  basket  shown  here  is  also  one  of 
the  best,  but  whether  high  or  low,  the  open  round  or 
oval  basket  is  very  effective.  Handled  baskets  we  deem 
out  of  place  as  parlor  ornaments,  having  doubtless  been 
originally  designed  to  carry ;  the  handle  invariably  inter- 
feres with  the  general  effect,  and  can  only  be  tolerated 


184  PBACT1CAI,   FLORICULTURE. 

when  beautifully  trimmed  with  flowers  and  fine  greens. 
For  parlor  decoration,  high  stands,  with  or  without 
branches,  small,  pendent  baskets,  or  hanging  baskets  of 
flowers,  or  of  plants  with  rich  flower  sprays  hung  around 
them,  are  frequently  used  to  advantage.  Balls  of  flowers, 
like  hanging  baskets,  are  best  displayed  from  the  centre 
of  an  arch  or  folding  doors,  and  with  festoons  of  flowers 
looped  from  centre  to  sides  the  effect  is  greatly  height- 
ened. Festoons  of  green  suspended  chain-like  from  the 
top  of  a  plain  chandelier  to  each  light,  with,  festoons  of 
flowers  from  the  centre  underneath  to  the  same  points, 


Fig.  55. — HAND-BOUQUET. 

make  one  of  the  gayest  of  floral  decorations.  Wreaths 
of  flowers  or  of  bright  green  leaves,  or  of  both,  around 
circular  or  oval  framed  portraits  may  be  used  on  spe- 
cial occasions  to  advantage.  A  ball,  or  hanging  bou- 
quet, loosely  arranged,  suspended  clear,  in  front  of  a  high 
mirror,  and  with  rich  festoons  of  flowers,  from  the 
same,  point  looped  to  each  side,  makes  a  splendid  dis- 
play. 

The  circle  must  be  taken  as  the  line  of  beauty  in   all 
bouquet  making,  apart   from    those    loosely    arranged. 
Whether  it  is  a  table  or  hand  bouquet,  or  basket,  there 
7* 


CONSTRUCTION    OF    BOUQUETS,    ETC.  185 

must  be  a  certain  rounding  of  outlines,  the  segment  of 
a  circle.  Hand  bouqets  admit  of  the  most  formal  ar- 
rangement of  flowers,  and  the  tendency  of  all  cultivated 
tastes  in  this  direction  must  be  admitted  as  proof,  that 
for  this  purpose  something  more  than  a  mere  bunch  of 
flowers  is  required.  The  American,  French,  or  English 
lady  never  figures,  even  in  a  book  of  fashion,  in  evening 
dress,holding  a  bunch  of  flowers  or  any  odd  shaped  bouquet. 
Crude  forms,  pyramids,  balls,  &c.,  can  never  supersede 
the  slightly  rounding  bouquet,  (fig.  55,)  which  is  likely 
to  continue  for  all  time  the  true  form,  like  the  parasol, 
which  might  have  been  its  prototype.  Ball  bouquets 
would  be  handsome  enough,  but  for  the  handles,  which 
completely  destroy  the  line  of  beauty.  As  for  those  abor- 
tions of  the  same  form  pointed  with  rose-buds,  they  are 
only  fitted  to  convey  to  moderns  an  idea  of  the  ancient 
weapon  of  war,  that  was  swung  by  a  chain  or  thong,  and 
which  Sir  "Walter  Scott  describes  the  Baron  of  Smail- 
holm  as  carrying : 

"At  his  saddle  girth  hung  a  good  steel  spert7ie 
Full  ten  pounds  weight  and  more." 

After  form,  the  most  important  point  in  bouquet  making 
is  the  arrangement  of  colors.  The  incongruous  mixing  of 
these  in  a  great  measure  destroys  the  effect  of  the  finest 
flowers,  while  the  more  delicately  the  coloring  is  blend- 
ed and  the  more  strikingly  contrasted,  the  more  perfect 
and  pleasing  is  the  result.  Let  any  one  who  doubts  this, 
compare  a  bouquet  of  the  best  flowers  in  which  many  col- 
ors are  freely  used,  with  one  made  of  pink  shading  deli- 
cately from  the  centre  to  blush  and  white,  or  vice  versa, 
and  with  a  few  tiny  points  of  bright  scarlet  or  violet 
tastefully  set  amidst  the  white. 

The  arrangement  of  colors  in  simple  geometrical  forms 
is  greatly  preferable  to  a  succession  of  distinct  rings  in  a 
bouquet.  The  ribbon  pattern  is  very  pretty  in  a  flower 
bed,  but  in  very  questionable  taste  in  bouquet  making ; 


186  PRACTICAL   FLOBICULTUBE. 

a  bordering  of  white,  blue,  or  pink,  may  be  generally  used 
with  good  effect.  Handsome  leaves  of  the  geranium  or 
camellia  (the  latter  is  preferable  for  its  brightness  and 
durability)  alternating  with  fine  sprays  of  green,  delicate 
flower  scapes,  or  spikelets  of  heaths,  form  a  fitting  edging 
for  a  hand  bouquet.  A  fine  hand  bouquet  may  be  made 
with  smooth  outline  and  relieved  by  a  few  delicate  points 
of  green  or  fine  leaves.  In  filling  out  a  hand  bouquet,  half- 
dried  moss  is  preferable  to  bouquet  green,  as  it  can  be  used 
more  readily  to  keep  the  flowers  apart  without  so  much 
increase  of  weight  and  stem ;  a  light  backing  of  green, 
concave  underneath,  finishes  the  bouquet.  White  lute- 
string ribbon  wound  around  the  handle  and  tied  in  a  bow 
is  preferable  to  tinfoil. 

Judging  the  merits  of  bouquets,  etc.,  has  always  been  a 
very  difficult  point  amongst  gardeners  and  florists,  nor 
is  this  to  be  wondered  at  when  exhibitors  and  judges 
have  each  their  own  notions  of  excellence,  various  as  the 
men  themselves.  It  is  only  by  comparison  that  the 
merits  of  any  article  can  be  well  judged,  and  the  best  con- 
noisseurs of  arranged  flowers  are  not  to  be  found  amongst 
gardeners,  who  have  few  opportunities  of  comparing  such 
things,  but  amongst  the  lovers  of  flowers,  the  men  and  wom- 
en of  cultivated  tastes  who,  having  leisure  and  means,  find 
pleasure  in  studying  their  merits,  and  thus  set  up  for  them- 
selves a  higher  standard  of  excellence.  An  unskilled 
person  set  to  judge  a  collection  of  pansy  flowers  proba- 
bly would  not  arrive  at  the  same  conclusions,  as  one  who 
judged  the  same  flowers  by  the  standard  rules  which 
hold  the  circle,  the  thick  and  smooth  petal,  the  sharply 
defined  eye,  and  distinct  division  of  colors,  as  the  only 
true  marks  of  perfection.  A  hand  bouquet  may  have  its 
colors  inlaid  like  mosaic  with  very  good  effect,  and  if  the 
coloring  be  well  toned  and  contrasted,  such  a  bouquet 
made  with  skill,  like  prize  pansies,  would  compel  any  one 
who  saw  it  to  admire,  although  many  would  object  to  it 


CONSTRUCTION    OF    BOUQUETS,   ETC.  187 

as  stiff  and  unnatural,  which  it  certainly  is,  but  a  hand 
some  bouquet  nevertheless. 

There  are  some  flowers  whose  colors  repel  all 
close  communication  with  others;  such  are  the  purple, 
ruddy  purple,  and  most  of  the  striped  carnations,  all 
roses  with  even  a  tinge  of  purple,  (and  this  includes  most 
of  the  hardy  roses,  as  well  as  others,)  in  fact,  there  is 
scarcely  any  shade  of  purple  which  can  be  used  to  advant- 
age in  bouquet  making.  Excepting  blue  like  that  of  the 
violet,  there  is  scarcely  any  shade  of  blue  even,  which  can 
be  advantageously  used  in  a  closely  arranged  bouquet,  and 
the  violet,  beautiful  though  it  be,  is  a  very  ineffective 
flower  by  gaslight;  still  more  so  is  the  favorite  helio- 
trope. Many  shades  of  yellow  are  harsh,  yet  some  may 
be  used  with  good  effect  in  bouquets,  particularly  when 
toned  with  blue;  for  example,  the  racemes  of  acacia  pubes- 
cens,  either  in  bud  or  blossom,  as  a  bordering  fringe  are 
exceedingly  beautiful  and  put  to  shame  that  over-fastid- 
ious taste  which  rejects  all  yellow  flowers.  Even  estab- 
lished rules  on  colors  fail  to  guide  us  always  in  the 
arrangement  of  flowers.  Artists  tell  us  that  blue  and  green 
should  never  come  together,  yet  the  violet  can  have  no 
more  beautiful  setting  than  its  own  green  leaves,  while 
dark  blue  flowers  show  to  equal  advantage  in  their  darker 
green  foliage.  In  Nature's  own  setting,  all  flowers  are  be- 
coming; it  is  only  by  placing  them  at  a  disadvantage 
that  they  can  ever  appear  otherwise;  but  so  infinite  are  their 
shades  and  forms  that  their  perfect  arrangement  in  bou- 
quets must  ever  be  a  work  of  taste  and  skill.  We  would 
not  assert  that  bouquet  makers,  like  poets,  "  are  born,  not 
made,"  yet  we  know  that  many  in  this,  as  in  other  call- 
ings, are,  and  ever  will  be,  utterly  unfitted  for  the  work 
they  undertake. 

Funeral  flowers  are  now  a  very  important  part  of  the 
florist's  trade.  Ten  years  ago,  ten  dollars'  worth  of  flowers 
were  more  rare  at  a  funeral  in  New  York  than  one  hund- 


188  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

red  now,  and  sometimes  one  funeral  demands  a  thousand 
dollars'  worth.  The  wreath  and  crescent  wreath  are  un- 
doubtedly the  best  forms  for  this  purpose,  and  the  cross  is 
a  favorite  and  beautiful  emblem.  An  upright  cross  of 
flowers,  solid  on  all  sides,  with  a  base  of  the  same,  is  a 
very  striking  object,  but  unless  well  and  richly  made, 
were  better  left  alone.  Anchors,  crowns,  baskets,  and 
bouquets,  are  all  used  for  the  same  purpose.  In  any  of 
these  forms,  the  slightly  rounding  surface  is  the  best;  that 
is  to  say,  the  flowers  in  the  wreath,  cross,  &c.,  must 
neither  be  flat  nor  too  highly  rounded. 

It  has  ever  been  a  matter  of  wonder  to  the  workers  in 
flowers  ho\v  such  a  preponderance  of  white  is  required. 
Most  of  them  have  not  realized  (although  often  practis- 
ing it)  that  the  most  beautiful  colored  bouquets  have 
always  a  large  proportion  of  white  in  their  composition. 
When  we  consider  that  white  flowers  are  used,  in  quan- 
tity at  least,  equal  to  flowers  of  all  colors  collectively,  and 
add  to  this  the  large  amount  of  white  flowers  used  alone 
for  funerals,  weddings,  church  offerings,  &c.,  we  may  more 
readily  conceive  how  important  the  raising  of  white 
flowers  is  to  all  flower  growers.  "We  believe  it  is  safe 
to  affirm  that  no  one  in  the  flower  business  fairly  dis- 
covered this  necessity,  until  the  vastly  increasing  demand 
for  flowers  in  late  years  forced  it  upon  his  attention, 
and  compelled  growers  to  the  production  of  white 
flowers  as  the  most  important  part  of  their  business. 

Bouquet  making  is  no  longer  a  paltry  business ;  the 
trade  in  flowers,  in  New  York  at  least,  has  fairly  outgrown 
that  of  flowering  plants,  and  when  so  much  of  this  work 
is  required,  and  when  that  well  done  is  so  much  more  valu- 
able, it  becomes  worthy  of  more  study  and  attention. 

Many  people  have  little  idea  of  the  value  set  upon 
flowers  by  some  of  their  fellow  mortals.  In  New  York, 
during  winter,  twenty-five  cents  is  a  common  price  for  a 
handsome  rose-bud,  the  same  per  dozen  for  violets, 


CONSTKUCTIOX    OP   BOUQUETS,    ETC.  189 

while  camellias  vary  from  one  dollar  each,  when  scarce, 
to  twenty-five  cents  when  plentiful.  At  Christmas  and 
New  Year's,  camellias  are  frequently  sold  from  two  to 
three  dollars  each.  The  price  of  hand  bouquets  varies 
from  fifty  cents  upwards.  What  florists  call  good  hand 
bouquets  sell  at  about  five  dollars,  extra  fine  from  five  to 
ten ;  occasionally  they  bring  still  higher  figures.  This  writer 
has  sold  not  a  few  at  fifteen,  and  on  rare  occasions  has 
received  twenty  dollars  for  a  hand  bouquet,  and  that 
from  men  who  knew  well  the  usual  prices  of  flowers. 
To  give  the  uninitiated  some  idea  how  these  things  are 
used,  we  may  mention  having  seen  a  belle  at  an  evening 
party  in  New  Yoi-k,  carrying  a  bouquet  in  each  hand, 
while  three  others  were  strung  from  each  arm  as  tro- 
phies of  her  prowess  among  the  simpler,  if  not  the  softer 
sex.  Of  course  this  display  could  not  last  long;  the  very 
weight  of  her  attractions  would  speedily  compel  her  to  sur- 
render, for  be  it  remembered  those  eight  bouquets  certain- 
ly contained  about  sixty  camellias  alone.  We  have  known 
rich  and  fashionable  belles  even  more  favored  than  this, 
and  have  heard  of  one  having  fifteen  splendid  hand  bouquets 
sent  for  one  occasion.  We  have  never,  however,  heard  of 
another  showing  such  muscular  prowess  in  their  display. 
Baskets  of  flowers  commonly  sell  from  five  to  twenty-five 
dollars,  stands  from  fifteen  to  fifty,  extra  large  stands  from 
fifty  to  a  hundred.  We  have  heard  of  two  hundred  and 
even  three  hundred  dollars  being  paid  for  one.  Bouquets 
for  refreshment  and  dinner  tables  range  from  five  to  fifty 
dollars  each;  we  have  ourselves  made  one  at  one  hundred. 
The  prices  of  wreaths,  crosses,  &c.,  vary  from  fire  to 
twenty  or  thirty  dollars ;  from  five  to  fifteen  is  a  com- 
mon range.  On  one  occasion  a  New  York  florist  is  said 
to  have  supplied  three  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  flowers 
for  a  private  entertainment,  but  two  or  three  hundred 
is  more  common,  and  esteemed  a  very  good  order. 
A  business,  which  in  New  York  alone  amounts  to  hund- 


190  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

reds  of  thousands  of  dollars  annually,  will  soon  assert 
its  own  position,  and  it  is  for  those  engaged  in  it  to  make 
or  mar  it,  as  they  conduct  it  more  or  less  respectably. 
As  Americans  assuredly  pay  better  prices  for  their  bouquets 
than  any  other  people,  let  the  florist  see  to  it  that  they 
get  the  finest  and  best  arranged  flowers. 

We  must  apologize  to  the  general  reader  for  the  minute 
description  and  the  technical  terms  used  in  detailing  the 
modus  operandi  of  construction,  but  it  is  necessary  to 
be  thus  particular,  to  be  properly  understood  by  such  as 
are  interested  in  the  subject.  So  many  flowers  have 
short  or  unmanageable  stems,  or  grow 
so  close  to  buds  which  the  grower  can- 
not  afford  to  cut,  that  artificial  stems  must 
ke  larSelv  used-  Even  wnere  stems  are 
available,  the  bouquet  maker  in  all  good 
work  prefers  having  another  added  to 
hold  the  flower  in  position,  the  strength 
of  the  stem  being  proportioned  to  the 
weight  of  the  flower  it  bears.  Thick 
stems  must  be  avoided,  else  the  bouquet 
handle  becomes  clumsy,  — a  very  objec- 
tionable feature,  as  amateurs  speedily  dis- 
cover, particularly  when  using  flowers  on 
their  own  stems.  The  stems  commonly 
used  are  of  broom-corn  or  straw  matting, 
Fig.  56.  cut  in  lengths  as  desired,  from  four  to 

eight  inches.  With  this  and  hair  wire  cut  to  three 
inches,  the  "stemmer"  goes  to  work.  By  a  rapid  twist 
one  end  of  the  wire  is  fastened  on  the  straw,  and  the 
flower  is  attached  by  a  Avhirl  of  the  stem  between  finger 
and  thumb,  as  in  figure  56.  Stemming  is  a  large 
part  of  the  labor  of  bouquet  making,  and  rather  distaste- 
ful to  the  amateur.  One  bouquet  maker  requires  two 
stemmers,  and  a  very  prosy  business  it  soon  becomes  to 
both,  and  vastly  less  interesting  than  the  growing  of 


CONSTRUCTION    OP   BOUQUETS,    ETC.  191 

flowers.  Strong  spool  cotton  or  shoe  thread  is  used  foi 
tying  up  the  flowers.  Camellia  stems  being  entirely  un 
available,  a  wire  the  thickness  of  a  pin  is  passed  througl 
the  calyx  of  the  flower,  the  ends  being  twisted  together 
It  is  then  stemmed  on  a  light,  dried  willow — which  admits 
of  bending  to  the  required  position — with  sufficient  moss 
wound  under  the  flower  to  prevent  its  outer  petals  being 
at  all  compressed,  when  set  in  the  bouquet.  Without 
some  such  provision  it  is  impossible,  either  to  attain  the 
rounding  outline  of  the  bouquet,  or  to  display  the  flowers 
in  perfection. 

With  flowers  prepared,  let  us  take  a  camellia  for  the 
centre  of  our  bouquet,  tie  it  securely  to  the  bouquet 
stem  (a  piece  of  kite  stick  or  stiff  twig),  and  wind  moss 
around  it,  as  already  described,  to  keep  the  flower  from 
outer  pressure,  the  moss  running  to  a  point  about  two 
inches  below  the  flower.  Six  tea  rose-buds  are  now  set  at 
regular  intervals  around  and  on  a  line  with  the  outer 
petals  of  the  camellia,  and  the  spaces  between  these  each 
filled  with  a  small  piece  of  white  eupatorium,  a  very 
small  geranium  leaf  or  point  of  delicate  green  being  set 
by  each  bud.  A  little  moss  is  now  wound  lightly, 
close  under  the  flowers,  to  prevent  crowding,  a  pink  car- 
nation set  behind  each  rose-bud,  with  tuberoses  between, 
a  speck  of  eupatorium  being  inserted  under  the  edge  oi 
each  tuberose,  to  fill  out.  Six  white  camellias  of  equal 
size  and  form,  stemmed  as  described,  are  now  set  at  regu- 
lar intervals  around,  particular  care  being  taken  to  form 
with  the  face  of  these  flowers  the  correct  outline  of  the 
bouquet,  and  their  stems  tightly  bound,  to  prevent  work- 
ing out  of  place.  Between  each  camellia,  on  the  inner 
side,  another  tuberose  is  set,  filled  out  with  a  speck  of 
stevia  under  each  side ;  more  moss  is  added,  and  a  bright 
speck  of  crimson  bouvardia  forms  the  sole  dividing  line 
between  the  centres  of  the  camellias — which  nearly  touch 
each  other.  A  tea  rose-bud  follows,  with  a  violet  set  in 


192  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

sweet  alyssum  on  one  side  and  a  small  geranium  leaf  in 
the  same  on  the  other ;  a  white  carnation  is  set  behind 
each  bud,  with  a  speck  of  bouvardia  in  eupatorium  on 
each  side.  A  light  border  of  stevia  is  now  set  around  the 
whole,  and  with  camellia  leaves  of  equal  form  stemmed 
on  willows,  and  projected  nearly  half  their  length,  the 
bouquet  is  finished.  The  back  is  trimmed  with  bouquet 
green,  or  fine  leaves  of  any  evergreen.  The  handle  is  cut 
to  about  three  inches,  and  being  a  hand  bouquet,  is  wrap- 
ped with  tinfoil,  wound  over,  and  neatly  tied  above  with 
a  bow  of  white  taffeta  ribbon. 

The  outline  of  the  bouquet  must  be  carefully  kept  as 
the  work  proceeds,  and  sufficient  moss  from  time  to  time 
packed  lightly  in  front  and  immediately  under  the  flow- 
ers. By  this  means  the  weight  of  the  structure  is  borne 
by  the  stems,  the  flowers  being  only  allowed  to  touch 
each  other.  Moss  not  only  serves  well  to  keep  the  flowers 
apart,  but  acts  as  a  sponge  when  the  bouquet  is  set  in  water, 
giving  moisture  to  flowers  with  the  shortest  stems;  and 
bouquets  thus  made  are  more  durable  than  the  casual  ob- 
server— who  gazes  regretfully  on  the  beheaded  flowers — 
is  apt  to  imagine.  When,  in  addition  to  the  moss,  a  piece 
of  wet  cotton  is  stemmed  to  every  flower,  (as  the  writer 
has  all  good  work  done,)  the  natural  stem  is  not  unkindly 
superseded.  The  maker  must  work  with  a  tight  thread, 
to  prevent  the  flowers  from  getting  out  of  place,  and  keep 
a  clean  surface  on  the  handle.  Another  method  of  bouquet 
making  is  to  tie  a  ball  of  moss  rather  loosely  on  the 
bouquet  stick  and  insert  the  flowers  (which  are  stemmed 
to  suit  the  work),  drawing  them  down  to  the  desired  posi- 
tion, and  tying  as  the  work  proceeds. 

Vase  bouquets  are  made  similarly,  with  more  green 
"  backing  "  between  and  around  the  flowers,  for  loose  ar- 
rangement and  to  support  the  greater  weight.  Flower 
baskets  are  lined  with  tinfoil,  or,  if  not  likely  to  show  after 
filling,  any  tough  paper  will  serve  the  purpose ;  they  are 


CONSTRUCTION'    OF    BOUQUETS,    ETC.  193 

then  filled  with  sawdust,  rounding  above,  damped  and  cov- 
ered with  wet  moss ;  a  border  of  arbor-vitae,  bouquet,  or 
other  greens  is  set  around,  to  support  the  overhanging  flow- 
ers. The  flowers,  stemmed  on  pieces  of  match  stick,  (fig. 
57,)  or  twigs,  are  now  inserted  according  to  the  taste  of  the 
worker,  with  moss  packed  between  them  as  the  work 
proceeds.  Baskets  thus  filled  and  sprinkled  with  water 
keep  well,  but  the  more  common  method  is  to  insert  bou- 
quet green  (Lycopodium)  over  the 
whole  surface,  and  arrange  the 
flowers  therein  without  any  moss 
packing.  "Wreaths  are  commonly 
made  on  a  stout  wire,  which  has 
a  straw  of  matting  wound  to  it,  to 
enable  the  thread  to  hold ;  a  back- 
ing of  green  is  laid  for  the  flowers 
as  the  work  proceeds.  Both  green 
and  flowers  must  be  wound  on  with 
points  projecting  to  each  side,  the 
stems  crossing  like  the  letter  X. 
If  laid  straight  along,  the  flowers 
are  huddled  together,  and  the  ar- 
rangement seems  thick  backed 
and  clumsy.  When  the  desired 
length  is  attained  the  ends  are 

firmly  tied,  and  flowers  and  green  together  are  pressed 
round  on  the  wire,  and  by  this  means  turned  to  face  as 
required ;  a  bow  of  white  silk  bonnet  string  finishes  the 
Avreath.  Crosses  are  made  on  two  pieces  of  thin  wood ; 
the  three  upper  points  being  made,  the  cross-stick  is  then 
tacked  and  tied  in  its  place,  the  centre  filled,  and  so 
wound  to  the  bottom.  Like  wreaths,  these  may  be  finish- 
ed with  or  without  a  bow  of  ribbon.  Wire  frames  have 
to  a  great  extent  superseded  these  old  methods  of 
winding  flowers  to  sticks  and  wires.  These  are  made 
from  half  to  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  depth — that  is, 


394  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

with  raised  edges — and  painted  green,  the  breadth  vary- 
ing with  the  circumference.  The  frame  gives  the  florist 
at  once  the  desired  form,  and  makes  it  easy  work  for  any 
person  of  taste  to  arrange  flowers  in  the  shape  of  an 
anchor,  star,  &c.,  &c.  The  frame  is  filled  with  damp 
moss,  wourid  slightly  to  keep  it  in  place,  and  the  flowers, 
stemmed  on  short  twigs,  are  inserted  in  the  moss. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

WIRE    DESIGNS    FOR    CUT    FLOWERS. 

Florists  who  have  not  yet  made  use  of  wire  frames  for 
designs  of  flowers,  will  be  surprised  at  the  facilities  they 
afford  in  constructing  such  decorations.  They  are  now 
used  exclusively  in  New  York  for  such  work,  the  low 


Fig.  58.— WBEATH.  Fig.  5a— CBOWN.  Fig.  60.— STAB. 

rates  at  which  they  are  sold  saving  more  than  the  cost  of 
the  labor  of  making  them  by  the  old  methods,  besides 
giving  correct  shape  to  the  different  designs.  By  having 
an  assortment  of  these  frames  on  hand,  a  dealer  can  sup- 
ply an  order  in  a  surprisingly  short  time.  The  manner 
of  filling  the  frames  is  described  in  the  preceding  chapter. 
It  is  a  very  common  practice  to  cover  the  edges  of  the 
frame,  and  even  the  whole  surface  with  tinfoil ;  the  flow- 


WIRE    DESIGNS    FOR    CUT   FLOWERS. 


195 


era  are  readily  put  through  this ;  it  hides  the  moss,  pre- 
vents any  small  particles  from  escaping,  and  at  the  same 
time  serves  to  prevent  evaporation  from  the  damp  moss. 
To  those  who  object  to  the  formality  of  flower  designs 


Fig.  62.— HASP. 


Fig.  63.— HEABT. 


for  funeral  or  for  other  uses  we  would  ask  what  they 
would  substitute,  or  if  flowers  are  to  be  given  in  what  bet- 
ter shape  can  the  offering  be  presented  ?  To  those  who 
object  that  they  are  made  the  objects  of  bargain  and  sale, 
we  say  so  may  be  the  carriage  in  which  you  attend  at  the 


Fig.  64.— LYRE. 


Fig.  65. — CROSS. 


Fig.  66.— ANCHOB. 


grave  to  show  your  sympathy.  It  does  not  show  less  sym- 
pathy if  it  involves  sacrifice,  and  the  greatest  sacrifice 
which  many  can  give  is  money — money  expended  often 
from  a  slim  purse  in  purchasing  a  last  tribute  of  respect 
to  the  memory  of  a  departed  friend. 


196  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

HANGING    BASKETS. 

It  is  only  of  late  years  that  the  taste  for  hanging  bask- 
ets has  become  so  universal,  possibly  induced  by  the 
beautiful  specimens  of  this  kind  exhibited  in  such  variety 
and  profusion  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  of  London,  a  dozen 
years  ago.  The  taste  has  extended  to  every  town  and 
hamlet  throughout  the  land.  The  baskets  are  made  either 
of  wire -work,  earthenware,  or  of  rough  and  gnarled  roots 
or  limbs,  to  form  "  rustic "  work.  The  wire  and  rustic 
baskets  are  the  kinds  in  most  general  use. 

Only  certain  kinds  of  plants  are  suitable  for  hanging 
baskets ;  such  as  are  of  low,  compact  growth,  to  cover  the 
surface,  and  such  as  are  of  drooping  or  trailing  habit,  to 
hang  over  the  sides.  For  a  basket  of  one  foot  in  diameter 
we  name  the  following  as  suitable : 

Coleus  Verschaffeltii,  a  well-known  bronze-foliaged  plant. 

Centaurea  Candida,  a  plant  with  white,  downy  leaves, 
of  compact  growth. 

Geranium,  Tom  Thumb,  scarlet,  dwarf  and  compact, 
blooming  all  summer. 

Sedum  Sieboldii,  a  plant  with  light  glaucous  leaves  and 
graceful  habit,  which  is  not  only  desirable  on  account  of 
its  foliage  alone,  but  for  its  purplish  rose  colored  flowers. 

These  are  suitable  for  the  upper  surface  of  the  basket. 
Those  proper  to  plant  near  the  edge  of  the  basket  are: 

Lobelia  Erinus  Paxtoni,  blue,  drooping  18  inches. 

Tropffiolum,  Ball  of  Fire,  dazzling  scarlet,  18  inches. 

Lysimachia  nummularia,  bright  yellow,  18  inches. 

Linaria  Cymbalaria,  small  flowers,  graceful  foliage. 

For  a  basket  of  two  feet  in  diameter  the  under-named 
make  a  fine  display.  For  the  center: 

Geranium,  Mrs.  Pollock,  foliage,  crimson,  yellow,  and 
green  ;  flowers,  bright  scarlet. 


HANGING   BASKETS.  197 

Centaurea  gymnocarpa,  foliage,  fern-like,  whitish  gray, 
of  a  peculiar  graceful  habit. 


Fig.  67. — PANICUM  VARIEGATUM. 


Sedum  Sieboldii  variegatum,  glaucous  green,  marbled 
Avith  golden  yellow. 

Achyranthes    Gilsonii,  a  beautiful  shade    of  carmine 
foliaere  and  stem. 


198  PBACnCAL   FLOBICTTLTUKE. 

Alyssum  dentatum  variegatum,  foliage,  green  and 
white,  with  fragrant  flowers  of  pure  white. 

Alternanthera  spathulata,  lanceolate  leaves  of  pink  and 
crimson. 

Pyrethrum,  Golden  Feather,  fern-like  foliage,  golden 
yellow. 

For  the  drooping  plants : 

Maurandia  Barclayana,  white  or  purple  flowers. 

Vinca  elegantissima  aurea,  foliage,  deep  green,  netted 
with  golden  yellow ;  flowers,  deep  blue. 

Cerastium  tomentosum,  foliage,  downy  white ;  flowers, 
white. 

Convolvulus  Mauritanicus,  flowers,  light  blue,  profuse. 

Solanum  jasminoides  variegatum,  foliage,  variegated; 
flowers,  white,  with  yellow  anthers. 

Geranium  peltatum  elegans,  a  variety  of  the  Ivy-leaved, 
with  rich,  glossy  foliage,  and  beautiful  mauve-colored 
flowers. 

Panicum  variegatum,  a  procumbent  grass  from  New 
Caledonia,  of  graceful  habit  of  growth,  with  beautiful  va- 
riegated foliage,  striped  white,  carmine,  and  green.  One 
of  the  most  valuable  plants  for  baskets  or  vases  that  has 
been  recently  introduced.  It  requires  a  plenty  of  heat. 
Fig.  67  inadequately  represents  it,  as  it  was  taken  from  a 
very  inferior  specimen. 

In  setting  the  plants  in  the  hanging  baskets,  a  layer  of 
moss  at  least  an  inch  in  depth  should  be  spread  over  the 
bottom  and  sides,  so  that  the  water  may  be  he)d  and 
prevented  from  washing  through. 

To  have  the  plants  bloom  freely,  they  should  be  hung 
where  they  will  be  exposed  to  the  sun  at  least  two  or 
three  hours  each  day,  and  in  dry  weather  copiously 
watered  daily.  If  the  surface  of  the  basket  between  the 
plants  is  covered  with  moss,  it  will  prevent  the  earth 


PARLOR   OR   WINDOW   GARDENING.  199 

from  drying  out  so  soon,  and  will  give  a  neater  appear- 
ance to  the  basket.  The  soil  used  to  plant  in  may  be 
that  suitable  for  potting  ordinary  plants,  as  described 
under  the  head  of  soils. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

PARLOR  OR  WINDOW  GARDENING. 

To  be  successful  in  growing  plants  in  the  window  of 
the  parlor  or  sitting-room,  it  is  of  the  first  importance  to 
begin  with  plants  that  are  in  a  healthy  state. 

Florists,  with  all  their  appliances  for  successful  culture, 
often  fail  to  bring  health  to  a  sickly  subject.  How,  then, 
can  our  amateur  friends  hope  to  recuperate  the  weakened 
energies  of  some  petted  plant  in  the  less  congenial  atmos- 
phere of  an  ordinary  dwelling-house?  I  well  know  the 
usual  practice  of  our  lady  friends  in  this  matter.  In  pur- 
chasing their  supply  of  bedding  plants  from  the  florist 
in  May,  all  are  taken  from  the  pots  and  planted  in  flower 
beds,  to  decorate  the  borders  for  the  summer  months.  By 
the  first  appearance  of  frost  in  October,  the  plants  of  Bou- 
vardias,  Carnations,  Fuchsias,  Geraniums,  Heliotropes, 
Roses,  &c.,  &c.,  that  were  such  tiny  slips  when  planted 
out  in  May,  are  now,  many  of  them,  large  plants,  and  in 
all  their  glory  of  bloom ;  but  Jack  Frost  shall  not  have 
them,  they  shall  be  saved.  Pots  are  sent  for,  soil  of  the 
most  approved  brand  is  procured  from  some  florist  high 
in  the  art  the  plants  are  lifted  up  with  all  care  and  placed 
in  the  pots.  Our  amateur  friend  is  in  raptures ;  as  yet  they 
look  just  as  green  and  flourishing  as  when  growing  in 
the  garden.  But  a  day  passes,  and  although  they  have 
fc  -ecn  shaded  and  watered  with  all  care,  the  plants  some- 


200  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

how  begin  to  show  symptoms  of  collapse.  The  Geranium 
leaves,  that  looked  so  green  and  well,  are  now  soft  and 
flabby.  The  Rose-buds,  that  held  up  their  heads  with 
pride,  now  look  abashed  and  hang  down. 

This  state  of  affairs  continues :  from  the  leaves  being 
simply  wilted  they  begin  to  get  yellow  and  shrivel  up ;  by 
ten  days,  many  of  the  plants  have  died  outright,  and  the 
remainder  are  in  a  sad  looking  condition,  that  is  dis- 
heartening to  the  owner. 

No  other  result  than  this  will  ever  be  obtained  with 
plants  treated  in  this  manner.  When  florists  wish  to  lift 
plants  of  this  nature  in  fall,  two-thirds  of  the  shoots  are 
usually  cut  off,  and  the  plants  put  through  a  course  of  treat- 
ment to  induce  them  to  strike  new  roots,  that  it  is  hardly 
ever  in  the  power  of  the  amateur  to  apply ;  but  even  though 
we  succeed  in  saving  the  plants,  it  is  almost  always  at 
the  expense  of  the  bloom,  for  few  plants  can  be  lifted  in 
bloom  in  October  from  the  open  ground  and  continue  to 
blossom  throughout  the  winter.  Now,  having  pointed 
out  the  errors,  I  will  show  the  way  to  succeed  in  obtain- 
ing healthy  plants  that  will  grow  and  bloom  freely  in 
winter,  provided  they  are  supplied  with  the  necessary 
moisture  and  heat.  All  plants  that  are  intended  for  house 
plants  in  winter,  when  set  out  in  May,  should  be  first 
placed  in  pots,  6  or  7  inches  in  diameter.  These  pots 
should  be  planted,  or,  as  we  term  it,  "  plunged  "  to  the 
rim,  or  level  with  the  surface ;  thus  they  are  almost  in  the 
same  condition  as  if  they  had  been  planted  without  the 
pot,  only  the  roots  are  confined  inside  of  the  pot,  so  that 
when  the  plant  is  lifted  in  fall  there  is  no  mutilation  of  the 
roots,  as  must  always  of  necessity  be  the  case  when  the 
plant  is  put  in  the  open  ground,  as  the  roots  ramify  in 
all  directions.  One  caution,  however,  is  necessary :  the 
hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot  must  be  effectually  stopped 
up  so  that  the  roots  cannot  strike  through,  or  the  pot 
should  be  turned  around  two  or  three  times  during  the 


PABLOE  OE  WINDOW  GABDENING.         201 

course  of  the  summer,  so  as  to  break  off  the  roots  as  they 
strike  through  the  bottom.  If  this  is  not  done,  nearly  the 
same  difficulty  will  be  experienced  as  if  they  had  not  been 
potted  in  spring.  But  if  proper  attention  has  been  given  to 
this,  plants  of  every  description  that  are  suitable  for  win- 
ter will  be  in  fine  state  by  the  time  of  taking  up — in  this 
district,  the  1st  of  October  —  as  by  this  time  there  is 
danger  of  frost. 

The  following  list  comprises  those  plants  most  suitable 
for  window  culture,  and  such  as  are  most  easily  managed 
and  least  expensive. 

Calla,  (Richardia,} 

Carnations — monthly  sorts, 

Cyclamens, 

Chrysanthemums, 

Chinese  Primroses, 

Fuchsias. 

Hyacinths  and  other  Bulbs, 

Geraniums,  Variegated,  Zonale,  Scented,  and  Ivy-leaved. 

Heliotropes, 

Pelargoniums, 

Roses — Tea,  Bourbon,  and  Bengal, 

Camellias  and  Azaleas. 

All  of  these  will  flower  and  grow  freely  in  a  green-house 
temperature,  or  at  an  average  of  not  more  than  50  degrees 
at  night,  with  15  or  20  degrees  higher  during  the  day. 

"We  add  another  list  of  plants  requiring  a  higher  tem- 
perature, some  of  them  being  in  other  respects  more  diffi- 
cult of  culture,  besides  being  more  expensive  : 
Bouvardias  of  sorts,      Begonias, 
Cissus  discolor,  Euphorbias, 

Stephanotis,  Poinsettias, 

Tuberoses,  Orchids, 

Ferns,  Lycopodiums. 

All  of  the  above  will  luxuriate  best  in  a  humid  atmos- 
phere, at  an  average  of  not  less  than  60°  at  night,  with 


202  PRACTICAL  FLOKICULTUKE. 

15  or  20  degrees  higher  during  the  day.  The  best  aspect 
for  growing  plants  from  October  to  April  is  due  south. 
For  the  intermediate  season,  east  is  preferable.  Watering 
is  a  very  important  operation,  but  a  little  experience  with 
plants,  and  ordinary  care  in  observing,  will  soon  show 
when  this  is  required.  A  good  deal  depends  on  the  condi- 
tion of  the  plant ;  if  in  vigorous  growth  there  is  but  little 
danger  of  giving  it  too  much.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
plant  has  been  cut  back  or  lost  its  leaves,  water  should  be 
given  sparingly.  For  example,  you  may  take  a  vigorous 
growing  apple  or  pear  tree,  and  saw  off  its  limbs  to  the 
trunk  in  midsummer ;  if  its  roots  are  kept  saturated  with 
moisture  it  will  die,  but  if  kept  dry  it  will  shortly  again 
develop  branches  and  leaves.  This  example  teaches  us  a 
lesson  in  more  artificial  culture,  that  in  proportion  to  the 
vigor  of  the  subject  should  its  food  be  supplied.  The 
practice  of  placing  the  pots  in  saucers  filled  with  water 
is  destructive  to  the  health  of  the  plants,  as,  of  course, 
as  long  as  the  water  remains  in  the  saucers  the  soil 
is  absorbing  it  and  the  roots  of  the  plant  are  saturated ; 
it  is  well  enough  to  use  the  saucers  to  prevent  the  soil 
from  washing  through,  but  the  water  should  be  applied 
at  the  surface  of  the  pot,  and  what  little  will  pass  through 
into  the  saucer  will  do  no  harm.  Another  source  of  an- 
noyance to  those  growing  plants  in  rooms  is  the  various  in- 
sects that  attack  them.  The  most  common  and  inju- 
rious of  these  is  the  Aphis  or  Green  Fly.  In  our  green- 
houses we  keep  this  little  pest  in  check  by  continued 
fumigation  with  tobacco,  but  as  this  would  not  be  practi- 
cable in  rooms,  recourse  must  be  had  to  immersing  the 
plant  in  tobacco  water,  made  to  a  strength  having  about  the 
color  of  strong  tea.  By  dipping  the  plant  in  this  once  in 
two  weeks,  or,  when  the  plants  are  large,  syringing  them 
with  it,  they  will  never  be  seen.  The  Red  Spider  and 
thrip  are  not  so  easily  got  rid  of,  but  fortunately  they  are 
not  so  common  or  injurious,  unless  in  a  very  high  temper- 


WINDOW   GARDENING.  203 

ature  and  dry  atmosphere.     The  only  way  of  arresting 
them  is  by  syringing  or  immersing  as  for  Green  Fly. 

There  are  no  special  soils  necessary  for  the  amateur  to 
trouble  himself  about  in  cultivating  parlor  flowers.  For  our 
opinions  on  this  head,  see  chapter  on  soils.  Neither  should 
he  tamper  with  guano  or  other  fertilizers ;  equalization  of 
temperature  and  moisture  will  secure  the  end  desired.  t 

WINDOW-GARDENING  IN  LONDON COTTAGE    GAKDENS. 

One  of  the  most  refreshing  sights  to  an  American  ar- 
riving in  London  during  the  summer  months  is  the  won- 
derful diversity  and  beauty  of  the  flowers  cultivated  in 
the  windows  and  balconies  of  the  houses.  In  some  of  the 
best  streets  hardly  a  house  can  be  seen  that  is  not  so 
adorned,  and  even  the  most  squalid  abodes  of  vice  and 
poverty  are  often  relieved  by  a  miniature  flower-garden  on 
the  window-sill.  The  most  common  style  is  the  window- 
box,  made  to  fit  the  window,  usually  from  four  to  five  feet 
long,  and  about  six  to  eight  inches  wide  and  deep.  It  is 
made  of  every  conceivable  pattern,  of  terra-cotta,  cork, 
and  rustic  design  in  endless  variety.  The  plants  used  are 
not  very  numerous  in  variety,  being  selected  of  kinds 
suited  to  keep  in  bloom  or  to  sustain  their  brightness  of 
foliage.  Now  and  then  the  ribbon-line  planting  is  adopted 
on  the  balconies ;  a  very  handsome  box  in  this  style  had 
first  a  row  of  Moneywort  (Lysimachia  nummularia), 
which  formed  a  drooping  curtain  of  four  feet  in  length ; 
half-way  down  on  it  drooped  blue  Lobelia ;  then  upon  the 
Lobelia  fell  a  bright  yellow  Sedum  (Stone-crop);  then 
against  the  Sedum,  for  the  top-line  or  background,  a 
dwarf  Zonale  Geranium,  a  perfect  blaze  of  scarlet. 
Hardly  two  of  these  window  decorations  were  alike  in 
the  best  streets,  and  varied  from  a  simple  box  of  Mig- 
nonette or  Sweet  Alyssum  to  cases  filled  with  the  rarest 
ferns  or  orchids.  The  effect  as  a  whole  is  most  pleasing, 
and  one  that  can  not  fail  to  strike  the  most  indifferent  ob- 


204  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

server  as  an  agreeable  change  from  the  seemingly  never- 
ending  brick  and  stone  of  the  city.  The  window-garden- 
ing is  not  confined  to  private  dwellings,  but  all  the  leading 
hotels  are  so  decorated.  In  the  dining-room  of  the  Lang- 
ham  Hotel  (said  to  be  the  largest  in  England),  some 
hundreds  of  well-grown  speciments  of  plants  are  placed 
in  the  windows,  and  kept  in  perfect  order  during  the 
entire  summer.  The  selection  of  plants  is  made  regard- 
less of  expense,  and  in  looking  around  the  dining-hall  it 
is  with  some  difficulty  that  you  decide  if  you  are  not 
dining  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  conservatory,  so  redolent  is 
the  air  with  the  perfume  of  flowers.  The  same  taste  for 
window-gardening  is  displayed,  more  or  less,  in  all  the 
English  towns  and  villages,  and  even  the  humblest 
thatched  cottage  of  the  peasant  by  the  wayside  is  given 
a  look  of  quiet  happiness  by  the  bower  of  flowers  in  the 
window.  How  different  the  look  of  these  humble  homes, 
where  the  occupant  is  receiving  barely  $4  per  week,  to 
the  squalid  shanties  in  the  suburbs  of  our  great  cities  in 
America,  where  the  "  naturalized "  American  citizen  is 
earning  three  times  that  amount ! 

Here  let  me  deviate  from  my  text,  but  to  a  kindred 
subject,  and  tell  how  the  English  cottager  works  his  gar- 
den in  some  of  the  old  towns,  such  as  Colchester.  To 
each  cottage,  renting  for  about  $50  per  year,  is  attached  a 
garden  of  something  more  than  an  eighth  part  of  an  acre 
in  extent.  In  this  little  spot  the  tenant  contrives  to  grow 
four  to  six  kinds  of  vegetables,  such  as  potatoes,  cabbage, 
peas,  turnips,  etc.,  and  of  fruits,  gooseberries,  currants, 
raspberries,  and  strawberries.  Every  foot  is  made  to  pro- 
duce something,  and  rarely  a  weed  was  seen  in  some 
scores  that  we  saw  ranged  side  by  side.  The  heavy  work 
is  done  by  the  man  of  the  house,  "  before  or  after  hours," 
in  his  own  time.  In  the  weeding  and  hoeing  he  is 
assisted  by  wife  or  children.  There  is  great  rivalry 
among  the  different  owners  of  these  cottage  gardens,  and 


WARDIAN   CASES   AND   FERNERIES.  205 

in  many  places  liberal  prizes  are  given  by  the  horticul- 
tural societies  to  those  that  are  best  cultivated. 

Prizes  are  also  offered  for  the  best  window-grown  plants, 
and  in  Hull  and  some  other  towns,  plants  are  distributed 
and  printed  instructions  given  for  culture  to  encourage 
the  taste. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

WAKDIAN  CASES,  FERNERIES,  &c. 

The  Wardian  Case  is  usually  made  with  black  walnut 
base  lined  with  zinc,  in  depth  about  6  inches,  and  about  2 
feet  square  on  the  sides ;  but  it  is  made  of  various  sizes. 
The  covering  is  a  glass  case,  made  usually  18  inches 
high ;  the  top  or  lid,  also  of  glass,  is  made  movable,  so 
that  ventilation  is  provided,  and  undue  moisture  allowed  to 
escape.  The  plants  grown  in  "Wardian  Cases  are  such 
as  are  peculiar  for  beauty  of  foliage  rather  than  flower — 
plants  whose  natural  habitat  is  shady  woods;  such  as 
Ferns,  Lycopodiums,  Caladiums,  Marantas,  &c.,  &c.  The 
soil  used  in  such  a  case  may  be  light  peat  or  leaf- 
mould  ;  nothing  of  a  stiff  or  heavy  nature  of  a  soil  should 
be  used.  The  case  may  be  kept  in  any  ordinary  sitting- 
room,  near  the  window,  but  not  exposed  to  the  direct 
sunlight.  There  is  no  trouble  whatever  in  management ; 
one  moderate  watering  when  the  case  is  filled  will  keep  it 
without  further  attention  for  six  weeks,  except  an  oc- 
casional ventilation  when  moisture  lies  heavy  on  the  glass. 
In  winter  the  temperature  of  the  room  may  run  from  50° 
to  65°  at  night.  The  culture  of  Ferns  or  Lycopods  re- 
quires somewhat  similar  conditions  as  are  found  in  the 
Wardian  Case  ;  they  can  not  be  successfully  grown  unless 


206  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

in  partial  shade  in  a  close,  moist  atmosphere.  Hence  it 
is  useless  to  attempt  the  cultivation  of  such  unless  they 
are  inclosed  in  cases  in  the  dry  atmosphere  of  an  ordinary 
sitting-room.  The  florist  can  easily  adapt  his  green-house 
to  the  proper  conditions  when  required,  but  the  amateur 
must  secure  these  by  means  of  a  closed  case  of  some 
kind.  For  single  specimens  or  a  few  ferns  and  the  like  a 
glass  shade  with  a  proper  base  of  metal  or  earthenware 
is  frequently  used,  and  is  very  ornamental.  Ferneries  of 
this  kind  are  sold  at  the  principal  horticultural  and  seed 
stores. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

FORMATION   OF   ROCK-WORK. 

This  feature  of  pleasure  ground  decoration  is  generally 
necessitated  by  circumstances;  if  the  ground  which  has  to 
be  chosen  for  that  purpose  is  naturally  stony,  it  often  be- 
comes the  cheapest  way  to  get  rid  of  the  stones,  grouping 
them  so  that  they  become  ornamental.  They  may  often 
thus  be  used  to  advantage  in  forming  breaks  or  screens,  to 
hide  the  flower  garden  from  the  vegetable  or  fruit  garden ; 
in  this  way  they  are  laid  up  in  rugged  walls,  the  inter- 
stices filled  with  soil  and  covered  with  hardy  perennial 
plants.  Locations  where  rocks  exist  in  their  natural  con- 
dition can  often  be  made  highly  interesting  and  ornament- 
al by  setting  out  plants  of  a  drooping  or  trailing  habit 
(o  overhang  among  them.  Among  those  suitable  for  such 
purpose  are : 

Achilleas,  of  creeping  growth,  Linnasa  borealis, 

Campanulas,  of  creeping  growth,  Lychnis  grandiflora, 

Crucianella  stylosa,  Lysimachia  nummularia, 

Cerastium  tomeutosum,  Orobus  vernns, 


FORMATION    OF    ROCK-WORK.  207 

Phloxes,  of  creeping  growth,  Soldanella  alpina, 

Polemonium  reptans,  Vinca  major  variegata, 

Saxifragas,  Thymus  vulgaris  variegata, 

Sedums,  of  all  kinds,  Violas  of  sorts. 
Sempervivums,  of  all  kinds, 

Artificial  rock-works  are  often  formed.  The  shape  and 
dimensions  of  the  work  being  determined  on,  the  clinkers 
from  furnaces  are  collected,  and  dipped  in  hot  lime  wash, 
which  gives  a  coloring  of  pure  white  to  their  fantastic 
shapes.  With  these  the  "  rock-work  "  mound  is  formed 
of  the  height  and  shape  desired,  leaving  at  suitable  dis- 
tances cavities  of  6  or  8  inches  deep,  to  be  filled  with  soil 
in  which  to  place  the  creeping  plants.  For  this  kind  of 
rock-work  a  different  class  of  plants  is  more  appropriate, 
— such  as  are  of  bright  colors  and  will  contrast  with 
the  ground-work  of  white. — Scarlet  or  other  high-colored 
Verbenas,  Coleus,  Gazanias,  Scarlet  Geraniums,  Blue 
Lobelias,  Lysimachia,  or  Golden  Moneywort,  may  be 
used  with  excellent  effect.  By  the  use  of  hydraulic  cement 
instead  of  lime,  the  rock-work  can  be  made  of  a  pleasing 
drab  color.  A  rockery  so  formed  and  planted,  without 
having  any  pretensions  to  being  "  natural,"  is  always 
an  interesting  and  attractive  object  on  a  well-kept  lawn. 


CHAPTER  XXXH. 

INSECTS. 

There  is  no  subject  referred  to  in  this  volume,  that  1 
feel  so  incompetent  to  discuss  as  that  of  insects.  Not 
that  our  experience  with  the  pests  has  not  been  ample 
enough,  but  all  the  knowledge  obtained  from  that  expe- 
rience leaves  us  at  times  utterly  helpless  to  prevent  their 
ravages,  particularly  on  plants  grown  out  of  doors.  Un- 


208  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

der  glass  we  may  say  that  they  are  entirely  under  control, 
and  I  have  alw  ays  considered  that  no  better  evidence  of  the 
incompetency  of  the  person  in  charge  of  a  green-house 
could  be  had,  than  to  see  the  plants  covered  with  insects. 

The  most  annoying  of  all  insects  of  the  flower  garden, 
is  the 

Rose  Slngj  Sdandria  Itosce,  a  light  green,  translucent 
little  fellow,  varying  from  1-16  of  an  inch  to  nearly  an  inch 
in  length.  There  are  evidently  two  species  or  varieties, 
one  of  which  confines  its  ravages  to  the  lower  side  of  the 
leaf;  the  other  eats  it  entire.  The  first  is  by  far  the  most 
destructive  here.  In  a  few  days  after  the  plants  are  at- 
tacked they  appear  as  if  they  had  been  burned. 

The  only  remedy  we  have  found  is  a  preventive  one, 
which,  in  fact,  ought  to  be  used  against  all  insect  life.  Be- 
fore the  leaves  of  the  roses  appear,  just  as  soon  as  the 
buds  begin  to  develop,  apply  whale  oil  soap,  in  the  pro- 
portion of  one  Ib.  to  eight  gallons  of  water;  this,  stead- 
ily applied  for  ten  days,  with  a  syringe  or  garden  engine, 
has,  in  my  experience,  entirely  prevented  the  attacks  of 
the  insect.  But  once  let  it  get  a  foothold  and  it  can  hardly 
be  driven  off  by  this  application,  unless  it  be  made  strong 
enough  to  injure  the  foliage,  making  the  remedy  worse 
than  the  disease.  The  species  of  Rose  Slug  that  eats  the 
entire  leaf  seems  to  confine  its  depredations  more  to 
young  plants,  and  later  in  the  season.  We  have  found  it 
quite  troublesome  in  June  and  July  among  our  young  roses, 
which  had  been  planted  out  in  May  and  June,  and  as 
these  were  young  and  tender  plants,  the  whale  oil  soap 
remedy  could  not  safely  be  applied;  so  we  have  often 
had  acres  of  young  roses  covered  by  myriads  of  these  slugs, 
before  they  were  observed,  and  nothing  could  be  done  ex- 
cept to  shake  the  plants,  and  kill  the  insects  when  they  fell 
to  the  ground.  In  the  summer  of  1866,  we  had  some 
nine  or  ten  boys  shaking  the  plants  and  killing  the  slugs, 
for  upwards  of  a  week,  and  by  this  means  saved  our  crop 


INSECTS.  209 

of  roses.  Last  season  (1868),  we  had  a  whole  army 
of  volunteer  exterminators,  in  the  thousands  of  English 
Sparrows  that  have  recently  favored  us  with  their  pres- 
ence, and  which  we  feed  and  house  with  the  greatest  care 
during  winter.  We  observed  immense  flocks  of  them 
actively  engaged  for  days  in  picking  up  something  in  our 
rose  beds,  and  had  imagined  it  to  be  seeds  obtained  from 
the  refuse  hops,  that  we  had  used  as  a  mulching.  At  tunes 
we  felt  inclined  to  believe  that  they  would  pick  the 
tender  leaves  of  the  rose,  to  use  by  way  of  a  salad,  having 
always  believed  them  to  be  strictly  "  vegetarians,"  or  seed 
eaters.  Finding,  however,  that  we  were  less  troubled  with 
the  Rose  Slug  that  season  than  usual,  it  occurred  to  me  that 
perhaps  we  were  indebted  to  our  noisy,  feathered  friends 
for  the  immunity.  To  test  the  matter,  a  victim  was  nec- 
essary ;  accordingly  a  plethoric  looking  fellow  was  shot, 
when,  sure  enough,  his  well-stuffed  crop  revealed  seeds, 
Rose  Slugs,  and  Aphis,  or  Green  Fly,  in  great  abundance, 
demonstrating  beyond  all  question  the  great  value  of 
these  birds  as  insect  destroyers. 

The  Rose  Bug  (Macrodactylis  subspinosus),  or  Rose 
Chafer,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is  so  named  from  its  at- 
tacking the  buds  or  blossoms  of  the  rose,  in  preference  to 
anything  else,  although  it  is  destructive  to  many  other 
plants,  particularly  to  the  Dahlia,  the  flower  of  which  it 
devours  rapidly.  All  the  ordinary  remedies  seem  to  fall 
harmlessly  on  the  Rose  Bug,  and  if  not  destroyed  by 
hand  its  ravages  cannot  be  stopped,  unless  our  feather- 
ed  friends  come  to  the  rescue ;  whether  they  will  be 
equally  efficacious  in  destroying  the  Rose  Bug,  I  am  un- 
able to  say,  although  I  am  inclined  to  think  they  will. 
We  have  never  yet  been  much  troubled  with  them  here, 
and  so  far  have  not  had  the  opportunity  of  knowing 
whether  the  Sparrows  feed  on  them  or  not. 

The  Ground  or  Blue  Aphis, — This  is  one  of  the  most 
subtle  and  most  dangerous  of  all  the  pests  with  which  wo 


210  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

have  to  contend  in  the  cultivation  of  flowers.  Hundreds  of 
my  amateur  friends  come  to  me  year  after  year,  with  sor- 
rowful tales  of  their  verbenas,  asters,  &c.,  which  were  pic- 
tures of  health  and  beauty,  but  now  are  one  after  an- 
other sickening  and  dying,  apparently  without  cause.  But 
there  was  a  cause,  and  one  cause  only.  The  Aphis  was  at 
work  on  the  roots.  But  the  remedy  ?  Alas  !  almost  hope- 
less at  this  stage  of  the  disease.  Still,  as  a  physician 
must  prescribe  in  all  cases,  we  say  that  the  only  chance  is 
an  application  of  tobacco  water,  about  the  color  of  strong 
tea,  applied  copiously  and  persistently  to  the  roots,  for  at 
least  a  week. 

We  have  occasionally  saved  all  our  stock  by  this  reme- 
dy, when  used  at  once,  as  soon  as  they  were  seen  to  be  af- 
fected. Many  species  of  plants  are  attacked  by  this  insect. 
Asters,  particularly,  are  much  injured  by  it.  In  fact,  when 
in  excess,  there  is  hardly  a  species  of  plant  exempt  from 
its  attacks.  We  have  often  seen  this  Aphis  clustering 
by  thousands  on  the  roots  of  melons  and  cucumbers,  to 
the  very  points  of  the  roots,  a  foot  below  the  surface. 

The  Green  Fly,  or  Plant  Louse,  is  not  so  hurtful  in  the 
open  air  as  many  other  insects,  and  is  easily  got  rid  of 
either  by  syringing  with  whale  oil  soap  or  tobacco  water, 
in  the  degrees  of  strength  before  named. 

The  Red  Spider  is  rarely  seen  in  the  open  ground,  ex- 
cept in  a  hot  and  dry  atmosphere,  when  it  is  often  very 
destructive  in  dry,  sheltered  gardens,  during  the  months 
of  July  and  August.  Frequent  syringings  of  whale  oil 
soap  will  hold  it  in  check. 

Ants. — Although  these  are  not  generally  to  be  feared  in 
the  green-house  or  flower-garden,  yet  we  have  occasional- 
ly suffered  by  them  and  have  found  the  simplest  way  to 
destroy  them  to  be  to  lay  fresh  bones  around  their  haunts. 
They  will  leave  everything  else  and  attack  these ; 
when  thus  accumulated,  they  can  easily  be  destroyed  by 
dipping  in  hot  water. 


INSECTS.  211 

We  now  come  to  the  insects  which  are  troublesome 
under  glass ;  here  we  have  the  means  within  our  control 
to  entirely  prevent  the  two  leading  insects,  Green  Fly  and 
Red  Spider.  In  both  cases,  I  have  always  contended 
that  "  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  better  than  a  pound  of 
cure."  There  is  no  neglect  of  the  gardener  or  foreman  in 
charge  of  green-houses  which  is  so  little  excusable  as 
allowing  insects  to  injure  his  plants. 

Green  Fly  (Aphis)  is  prevented,  (for  I  contend  that  it 
should  never  be  seen,  so  that  it  need  be  destroyed),  by 
fumigating  with  tobacco  smoke,  not  less  than  twice  each 
week.  We  do  it  in  a  manner  much  more  simple  and 
agreeable  to  the  operator  than  is  often  practiced.  Two 
or  three  times  each  week  during  the  entire  season  at 
which  our  green-houses  are  filled  with  plants,  we  use  a 
small  handful  of  shavings,  on  top  of  which  we  place  about 
half  a  pound  of  tobacco  stems,  previously  made  damp. 
The  shavings  are  lighted,  and  the  fire  being  on  the  brick 
flooring,  is  left  to  take  care  of  itself.  We  use  this  quanti- 
ty of  tobacco  to  every  500  square  feet  of  glass ;  we  burn  thus 
five  to  six  tons  of  tobacco  stems  every  season,  but  we  rarely 
see  a  green  fly.  We  have  occasionally  seen  this  insect  in- 
crease to  such  an  extent  in  its  different  conditions,  that  fu- 
migation was  powerless  to  destroy  it,  or  rather  it  would 
have  required  it  to  be  applied  so  strong,  to  dislodge  the  vast 
number  of  the  enemy,  that  the  plants  would  have  been  in- 
jured. The  safer  way  to  treat  a  desperate  case  of  this 
kind  is  to  brush  the  insect  off"  by  hand,  or  with  a  soft 
brush ;  this  is  a  slow  process,  but  an  eflectual  one.  This 
condition  of  the  plants  can  only  be  the  result  of  utter  neg- 
lect. The  green  fly  sometimes  injures  plants  which  stand 
too  near  together,  so  that  the  leaves  get  matted  so  closely 
that  the  fumes  of  the  tobacco  cannot  penetrate.  This  is 
a  condition,  where  recourse  must  be  had  to  brushing  the 
insects  from  the  leaves,  and,  if  possible,  spreading  the 
plants,  so  that  the  air  can  pass  freely  among  them. 


212  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

The  Red  Spider  is  rather  a  more  insidious  enemy  than 
the  green  fly,  and  far  more  tenacious  of  life,  and  often 
does  much  mischief  before  its  presence  has  become  known. 
The  experienced  gardener,  of  course,  should  not  only  be 
able  to  detect  its  presence,  but  also  to  discover  the  at- 
mosphere favorable  to  its  production.  A  dry  and  hot  at- 
mosphere, so  dry  that  few  plants  can  long  continue  in 
health  in  it,  Is  such  an  one  as  this  pest  delights  to  revel 
in.  Such  an  atmosphere  in  hot-house  or  green-house 
is  thus  doubly  hurtful  to  plant  life,  and  therefore  should 
never  be  allowed.  The  remedies  are  simple;  if  there  is 
not  time  for  syringing,  let  water  be  thrown  copiously  on 
the  paths,  under  and  on  the  benches,  place  pans  filled 
with  water  on  the  flue  or  pipes,  or  use  any  other  means  that 
may  suggest  itself,  to  counteract  the  aridity  of  the  air, 
due  to  heavy  firing  in  winter,  or  hot,  dry  days  in  spring 
or  summer.  Therefore,  as  in  the  case  of  the  green  fly,  if 
proper  preventives  are  used,  the  red  spider  need  never  be 
seen  in  the  green-house. 

The  red  spider  is  an  exceedingly  minute  insect,  so 
small  that  it  is  a  mere  speck  when  seen  by  the  naked  eye, 
but  when  closely  examined,  may  be  seen  moving  with 
great  rapidity.  Though  minute  in  themselves  the  presence 
of  these  insects  may  be  quickly  detected,  by  the  upper 
side  of  the  leaves  becoming  browned,  though,  as  a  general 
thing,  their  ravages  are  confined  to  the  under  side  of  the 
leaf.  Parlor  plants  are  often  subject  to  this  insect,  as  it 
is  not  convenient  to  give  the  necessary  moisture,  and 
the  only  remedy  in  such  cases,  if  the  collection  is  not  too 
numerous,  is  sponging  the  leaves. 

We  often  have  woeful  complaints  from  our  lady  friends, 
that  their  plants  all  get  brown  and  look  sickly,  and  it  re- 
quires but  little  thinking  to  divine  what  enemy  is  makino- 
the  attack. 

The  aphis,  from  its  size,  is  quickly  seen,  and  means 
may  be  used  at  once  to  destroy  it,  but  this  minute  red 


INSECTS.  213 

pest  may  be  sapping  the  life  of  a  plant  for  weeks  before  it 
is  discovered.  Amateur  cultivators  generally  expect  to 
see  something  more  tangible  in  a  spider,  if  they  have 
heard  of  the  red  dragon  at  all,  and  are  often  hard  to 
convince,  that  this  minute  insect  is  the  cause  of  so  much 
disaster. 

I  will  relate  a  rather  ludicrous  incident,  to  show  that 
some  even  of  larger-  experience  may  become  possessed  of 
that  notion. 

Some  twelve  years  ago,  I  had  in  my  employment  an 
active  young  Irishman,  who,  by  showing  more  than  ordi- 
nary energy,  quickly  passed  through  the  different  grades, 
until  he  was  duly  installed  as  foreman ;  at  that  time  we 
had  been  firing  a  Camellia  house,  and  by  neglect  of  keep- 
ing a  properly  moist  atmosphere,  the  red  spider  had 
made  sad  inroads.  John  was  duly  instructed  to  syringe 
the  plants,  night  and  morning,  to  destroy  it,  which  he 
did;  no  doubt  with  a  double  object  in  view,  as  the  sequel 
will  show.  John  was  on  all  occasions  rather  demon- 
strative, but  one  morning  he  came  rushing  towards  me, 
his  face  radiant  with  triumph,  with  his  hat  off,  but 
clasped  in  his  hands,  in  a  careful  manner,  evidently 
having  something  of  no  common  value  within  it.  Before 
I  had  time  to  inquire  what  was  the  cause  of  his  excite- 
ment, he  yelled  out  "  I've  got  him !  bedad  !  I've  got 
him  at  last !"  "  What  have  you  got  ?"  I  enquired,  expect- 
ing to  see  something  in  the  way  of  a  rat  or  mouse. 
"  Arrah,  the  big  divil  himself,  the  blaggard  that  has  been 
doin'  us  all  the  mischief,  the  Heed  Sphider!"  and  opening 
nis  hat,  a  villainous  Tarantula-looking  fellow  ran  out, 
bigger  than  a  thousand  red  spiders,  which  was  quickly  des- 
patched by  John's  brogan.  From  that  time  John  learn- 
ed to  know  what  the  red  spider  was,  but  was  never  anx- 
ious to  allude  to  it  afterwards. 

The  Verbena  Mite,  another  pest  most  disastrous  in 
its  ravages  on  the  Verbena,  Heliotrope  Petunia,  Pelar- 


214  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

gonium,  and  various  other  plants,  is  so  small  that  it 
cannot  be  seen  by  the  naked  eye ;  but  it  produces  what 
is  known  as  "  black  rust,"  a  disease  that  in  many  parts 
of  the  country  has  made  the  cultivation  of  these  plants, 
particularly  the  Verbena,  almost  impossible. 

Viewed  by  a  powerful  microscope,  this  insect,  mag- 
nified 400  times,  appears  of  the  size  given 
in  fig.  68 ;    it  moves  with  great  rapidity, 
and  can  only  be  examined  as  it  stops  to 
feed.     When  ,this  little  pest  has  once  got 
a  foothold,  all  direct  remedies  to  dislodge 
him  seem  to  be  powerless;    the  fumes  of 
tobacco,  so  destructive  to  the  aphis,  or  of 
*   8<         sulphur,  which  is  death  to  the  spider,  fall 
harmlessly  on  this  microscopic  insect. 

There  is  hardly  a  doubt  but  that  the  fumes  of  sulphur 
or  tobacco  would  destroy  it,  if  it  had  not  the  power  of 
imbedding  itself  in  the  leaf  This  is  evidently  the  case, 
as  on  subjecting  affected  plants  to  a  severe  fumigation 
with  tobacco  for  30  minutes  no  insects  could  be  discerned 
on  the  leaves ;  but  after  a  short  time  they  again  appeared 
on  the  field  of  the  microscope,  apparently  unscathed. 
Now,  although  we  have  no  direct  remedy  against  this  in- 
sect, which  produces  the  black  rust,  we  have,  I  think,  a 
preventive,  by  keeping  the  plants  in  that  healthy  condi- 
tion which  seems  to  be  repellant  to  its  attack.  For  the 
means  used  to  get  that  healthy  condition,  see  article 
on  the  culture  of  the  Verbena,  which  is,  with  slight  modi- 
fications, equally  applicable  to  all  other  plants  affected 
by  this  insect. 

The  microscope  reveals  that  this  particular  species, 
which  is  so  destructive  to  our  Verbena,  Heliotrope,  Petu- 
nia, and  scores  of  other  plants  cultivated  in  the  green- 
house or  garden,  is  the  same  or  closely  resembles  that 
which  gives  the  roughness  to  particular  parts  of  the  bark 
of  cherry,  plum,  and  peach  trees,  and  no  doubt  is  to  be 


INSECTS.  215 

found  on  thousands  of  other  varieties  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom,  whenever  a  lessened  vitality  takes  place.  Cor- 
roborative of  this  view,  I  had  a  lot  of  about  500  plants 
of  Heliotrope  growing  in  2-inch  pots  in  one  of  our  green- 
houses last  fall,  one-half  of  which  were,  in  September, 
shifted  into  3-inch  pots,  to  be  reserved  for  stock  plants. 
They  were  kept  side  by  side  and  treated  in  all  respects  the 
same.  Those  shifted,  of  course,  with  increased  food, 
grew  vigorously  and  strong,  while  the  unshifted  remained 
comparatively  stunted,  and  to-day,  December  1st,  the 
"  black  rust "  shows  itself  on  nearly  every  plant,  and  the 
microscope  shows  on  every  affected  leaf  hundreds  of 
these  insects,  feeding  like  sheep  on  a  pasture  field,  while 
on  the  shifted  plants  none  whatever  can  be  found.  This 
is  only  one  of  hundreds  of  cases  which  yearly  come  un- 
der our  observation,  to  prove  that,  from  whatever  cause  the 
vital  action  of  a  plant  is  impaired,  it  is  placed  in  the  con- 
dition which  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  invites  the  attack 
of  parasitic  fungi  (mildew)  or  insects. 

Mealy  Bug,  as  it  is  familiarly  termed,  is  a  white,  mealy, 
or  downy-looking  insect,  often  very  troublesome  in  the 
hot-house ;  it  is  quickly  destroyed  by  a  solution  of  1  Ib. 
of  whale  oil  soap  to  five  gallons  of  water ;  but,  as  it  often 
attacks  plants  of  the  most  tender  kinds,  that  are  liable  to 
be  injured  even  by  this  weak  mixture,  it  is  not  safe  for 
inexperienced  hands  to  use  it  before  experimenting  on  its 
strength,  and  pej-haps  the  safest  method  is  simply  to 
brush  off  the  insects  with  a  soft  brush,  made  for  the 
purpose. 

Brown  and  White  Scale  Insects. — These  are  less  in- 
jurious and  less  common  to  plants  than  any  of  the  pre- 
ceding, and  are  generally  found  in  dark  or  ill-ventilated 
green-houses,  adhering  to  the  stems  and  under  part  of  the 
leaves  of  hard-wooded  plants.  The  best  remedy  is  wash- 
ing, or  brushing  them  off  by  hand ;  fumigating,  and  the 


216  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

different  solutions  destructive  to  aphis,  &c.,  falling  harm- 
lessly on  these. 

Thrips  is  an  active  insect,varying  in  size  from  that  hard 
ly  perceptible  by  the  naked  eye,  to  the  size  of  the  green 
fly,  and  varying  in  color  from  whitish-yellow  to  dark 
brown ;  it  is  a  jumping  insect,  very  active  in  its  move- 
ments, and  when  it  once  gets  a  foothold  is  very  destruct- 
ive. It  succumbs  to  tobacco  smoke,  but  not  so  quickly 
as  does  the  green  fly.  It  luxuriates  in  shaded  situations,  and 
is  generally  found  where  plants  are  standing  too  thickly  to- 
gether,or  where  the  ventilation  or  light  of  the  green-house 
has  been  deficient.  I  think  it  may  be  safe  to  assert  that 
in  any  well-regulated  green-house  or  hot-house  no  injury 
from  insects  will  ever  become  serious,  if  proper  attention 
to  syringing  and  fumigating  has  been  given.  Syring- 
ing, or  other  means  of  keeping  a  moist  atmosphere, 
must  never  be  neglected  for  a  day,  and  fumigating  by 
tobacco  smoke  should  be  done,  at  the  least,  once  each 
week.  This  has  been  our  own  practice  for  nearly  twenty 
years,  and  we  rarely  ever  see  an  insect  in  our  green- 
houses. 

The  "Carnation  Twitter,"— This  is  an  insect  but  little 
known,  and  called  in  this  district  only  by  its  local  name 
of  "  Carnation  Twitter,"  given  from  its  rapid  and  nervous 
motion.  As  seen  by  the  naked  eye  it  is  about  the  twen- 
tieth part  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  of  a  thickness  not 
more  than  that  of  a  cambric  needle.  It  is  of  various 
shades  of  color,  from  green  to  black]  it  is  never  very 
numerous  on  the  plants,  but  most  destructive  and  evidently 
poisonous  in  its  attacks  on  all  varieties  of  the  Carnation 
and  Pinks. 

Its  effects  on  the  Carnation  somewhat  resemble  those 
of  the  red  spider,  except  that  when  attacked  by  the 
"  Twitter,"  the  leaves  have  a  cankered  and  twisted  ap- 
pearance, easily  distinguishable  from  the  browning 
effects  of  the  epider.  When  Carnations  or  Pinks  get 


INSECTS.  217 

infested  by  this  insect,  all  remedies  to  dislodge  it 
seem  futile.  We  have  lost  thousands  of  plants  in  a 
season  by  its  attacks.  It  seems,  however,  to  infest  light 
or  sandy  soil  more  than  heavy  loam  or  clay,  and  seems, 
also,  to  be  intermittent  in  its  attacks,  often  not  being  seen 
for  three  or  four  years  in  succession,  and  again  returning 
and  destroying  all  in  its  path.  In  our  light,  sandy  soil 
at  Jersey  City  we  suffered  severely  from  it,  but  for 
five  years,  in  our  heavy,  clayey  soil  in  Bergen,  it  has  rarely 
been 


CHAPTER  XXXIH. 

ARE  PLANTS  INJURIOUS  TO  HEALTH  ? 

If  physicians  are  asked  if  plants  are  injurious  to  health, 
three  out  of  six  will  reply  that  they  are. 

They  will  generally  follow  up  the  reply  by  a  learned 
disquisition  on  horticultural  chemistry ;  will  tell  you  that 
at  night  plants  give  out  carbonic  acid,  which  is  poisonous 
to  animal  life,  and  consequently  if  we  sleep  in  a  room 
where  plants  are  kept,  we  of  necessity  inhale  this  gas, 
and  sickness  will  follow.  These  worthies  generally  suc- 
ceed in  their  specious  reasoning,  and  the  poor  plants,  that 
have  bloomed  gaily  all  summer,  are  often  consigned  to 
the  coal  cellar,  for  their  winter's  quarters,  if  given  quar- 
ters at  all.  No  theory  can  be  more  destitute  of  truth ; 
that  plants  give  out  carbonic  acid  may  be,  but  that  it  is 
given  out  in  quantities  sufficient  to  affect  our  health  in  the 
slightest  degree  is  utter  nonsense. 

No  healthier  class  of  men  can  be  found  than  green- 
house operators,  which  makes  me  sometimes  think  that 
plants  have  a  health-giving  effect  rather  than  otherwise. 
But  doctors  may  tell  us  that  our  workmen  are  only  at  work 
in  the  day-time,  and  that  it  is  at  night  that  the  carbomc  acid 


218  PRACTICAL   PLORICTTLTtTBK. 

is  emitted.  Here  we  meet  them  by  the  information  that  in 
most  cases  the  gardener  in  charge  of  green-houses  often 
has  to  be  up  the  greater  part  of  the  night  in  winter,  and 
the  green-house,  from  its  warmth,  is  universally  taken  as 
his  sitting-room,  and  sometimes  as  his  bed-room ;  such 
was  my  own  experience  for  three  winters.  I  had  charge 
of  a  large  amount  of  glass,  situated  nearly  a  mile  from  my 
boarding-house,  too  far  to  go  and  come  at  midnight,  with 
the  thermometer  below  zero.  Our  means  of  heating  were 
entirely  inadequate,  so  that  the  fires  had  to  be  looked  to 
every  three  or  four  hours.  Disregarding  all  my  kind- 
hearted  employer's  admonitions,  I  nightly  slept  on  the 
floor  of  the  hot-house,  which  was  rank  with  tropical 
growth.  The  floor  was  just  the  place  to  inhale  the  gas, 
if  there  had  been  much  to  inhale.  It  did  not  hurt  me, 
however,  and  has  not  yet,  and  that  is  a  score  of  years 
ago.  That  plants  are  injurious  to  health  in  sleeping- 
rooms  is  one  of  the  bugbear  assertions  that  is  willingly 
swallowed  by  the  gullible  portion  of  the  community,  always 
ready  to  assign  effects  to  some  tangible  cause,  and  this,  as 
the  assertion  evinces  some  chemical  lore,  is  one  very  prev- 
alent among  those  disciples  of  Esculapius  who  are 
always  willing  to  be  thought  learned  in  the  science  so 
intimately  connected  with  their  profession. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

NATURE'S  LAW  OF  COLORS. 

It  has  long  been  a  belief  among  students  in  vegetable 
physiology,  that,  in  certain  families  of  plants,  particular 
colors  prevail,  and  that  in  no  single  instance  can  we  ever 
expect  to  see  blue,  yellow,  and  scarlet  colors  in  varieties 
of  the  same  species ;  yet,  undeviating  as  this  law 


NATURE'S  LAW  OP  COLORS.  219 

to  be,  it  is  astonishing  to  see  the  credulity  that  there 
is,  even  among  intelligent  horticulturists,  some  of  whom 
believe  that  we  will  yet  have  exceptions  to  this  law,  which, 
as  far  as  all  our  experience  has  gone,  seems  as  unalterable 
as  the  law  of  gravitation.  If  we  reflect,  we  will  find 
there  is  nothing  out  of  the  usual  order  of  nature  in  this 
uniformity.  The  coloring  given  to  the  plumage  of  birds 
is  as  unvarying  as  that  given  to  the  petals  of  a  flower  in 
particular  families.  The  most  enthusiastic  poultry  fan- 
cier will  look  in  vain  for  the  scarlet  plumage  of  the  Fla- 
mingo in  his  Dorkings  or  Brahmas,  or  the  color  of  the  Balti- 
more Oriole  in  the  occupants  of  his  pigeon-house.  What 
more  reason,  then,  has  the  florist  to  expect  that  Nature 
should  deviate  from  her  fixed  course,  and  gladden  his 
eyes  with  a  Rose  or  Dahlia  of  an  azure  hue,  or  that  a  Ver- 
bena or  a  Petunia  should  be  produced  of  a  golden  shade? 

A  knowledge  of  this  subject  is  much  needed  by  our 
amateur  horticulturists,  who  are  imposed  upon  year 
after  year  by  itinerant  dealers,  who  with  flaming  color- 
ed drawings  of  these  impossibilities  in  floriculture  ex- 
tract largely  from  the  pockets  of  their  victims,  and  in  addi- 
tion expose  them  to  the  ridicule  of  their  less  credulous  or 
more  cautious  neighbors.  The  audacity  of  these  scamps 
is  truly  astonishing;  not  a  season  passes  but  some  of  them 
have  the  impudence  to  plant  themselves  right  in  the  busi- 
ness centres  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  hundreds  of 
our  sharp  business  men  have  for  the  consideration  of  $8 
or  $10,  believed  themselves  to  be  the-  possessors  of  verita- 
ble blue  Roses.  Need  I  say  that  they  were  no  less  humbug- 
ged than  the  rustic  who  falls  into  the  hands  of  a  mock 
auctioneer,  and  chuckles  to  think  that  he  has  become 
the  possessor  of  a  gold  watch  for  a  similar  price? 

In  Rand's  "Flowers  for  the  Parlor  and  Garden,"  page 
101,  in  remarking  on  the  colors  of  the  Verbena,  he  says  a 
good  yellow  Verbena  has  not  yet  been  produced,  but 
goes  on  to  say  that  he,  "  by  a  curious  process  of  water- 


220  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE, 

ing  and  fertilization*  with*  a  white  Verbena,  obtained  a 
seedling  which  proved  on  blooming  to  be  of  a  light  straw 
color;  but  the  plant  was  weakly  and  sickly ',  and  died  be- 
fore cuttings  could  be  taken."  This  "  weakly  "  and  "  sick- 
ly "  condition  was  exactly  why  Mr.  Rand  obtained  his 
straw  color ;  had  the  plant  been  in  health  it,  no  doubt, 
would  have  been  only  att  impure  white. 

There  are  few  florists  of  any  experience  who  have  not 
raised  hundreds  of  just  such  "straw  colors"  inVerbenas  from 
white,  that  have  been  weak  and  sickly,  for  we  all  know 
that  the  want  of  vitality  in  the  plant  imparts  a  jaundiced 
hue  to  white  flowers. 

It  is  hardly  fair  in  Mr.  Rand  to  withhold  from  us  what 
that  "  curious  process  of  watering  and  fertilization  "  was, 
by  which  he  succeeded  in  bringing  into  existence  what  De 
Candolle,  Lindley,  and  Loudon,  have  said  can  never  be. 
When  a  man  writes  a  book  for  the  information  of  the 
public  nothing  should  be  held  in  reserve;  his  readers  have 
a  right  to  every  "  secret "  that  he  may  possess  connected 
with  the  subject,  and  this  reservation  of  Mr.  Rand  in  so 
very  interesting  a  matter  is  tantalizing  in  the  extreme. 
Who  knows  but  if  he  had  given  us  the  modus  operandi 
of  his  "curious  process  of  watering  and  fertilization" 
our  Verbena  beds  would  have  long  since  had  a  golden 
yellow  flaunting  side  by  side  with  scarlet  and  blue,  or 
that  the  same  "  curious  process  of  watering  and  fertiliza- 
tion "  applied  to  the  Rose,  would  have  produced  a  color 
rivalling  a  blue-bird  in  April  ? 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Rand's  yellow  Ver- 
bena was  lost,  but  we  trust  that  the  "  curious  process  " 
by  which  it  was  produced  is  not  among  the  lost  arts.  If 
an  application  of  it  can  be  made  to  produce  a  positively 
yellow  Verbena,  the  gentleman  will  receive  the  honors  of 
the  whole  horticultural  world,  and,  if  he  chooses,  can 
pocket  some  thousands  of  dollars. 


PACKING    PLANTS.  221 

CHAPTER    XXXY. 

PACKING   PLANTS. 

As  commercial  floriculture  is  now  becoming  a  mattel 
of  importance,  it  will  be  interesting  to  many  of  oui 
readers  to  know  the  modes  of  packing  for  shipment. 
During  February,  March,  April,  and  May  last,  (1873) 
it  is  estimated  that  ten  tons  daily  were  received  at  the 
different  express  offices  in  New  York,  of  the  products  of 
the  green-house  only.  These  were  to  be  distributed  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  shipments  being 
successfully  made  to  the  most  extreme  points  in  every  di- 
rection. The  system  of  packing  adopted  for  even  the 
most  distant  orders  is  of  the  simplest  kind,  differing  en- 
tirely from  that  in  use  by  the  English  or  French,  and  is  a 
result,  like  many  other  of  our  operations,  of  the  necessi- 
ties forced  upon  us  by  the  want  of  labor.  By  our  system 
of  packing,  we  ship  plants  almost  every  day  from  January 
15th  to  June  15th,  throughout  the  coldest  weather  in  winter 
and  the  sultry  days  of  summer,  with  hardly  a  case  of  injury, 
either  from  freezing  or  by  heat.  For  the  cold  season  we 
use  close  boxes,  placing  a  layer  of  4  inches  of  soft,  dry  hay 
on  the  bottom  ends,  sides,  and  top  of  the  box.  Whenever 
the  ball  of  roots  is  sufficiently  firm,  the  plant  is  taken 
from  the  pot,  and  each  plant  wrapped  in  paper,  or  rather 
the  ball  or  root  of  the  plant  is  wrapped,  leaving  most  of 
the  top  uncovered.  This  wrapping  in  paper  not  only 
serves  to  keep  the  ball  from  breaking,  but  it  also,  to  some 
extent,  prevents  the  pressure  of  the  plants  upon  each  other. 
In  packing  the  plants  in  the  box,  they  are  placed  com- 
pactly in  layers,  alternated  with  an  inch  or  two  of  soft  hay 
until  the  box  is  full.  The  utmost  care  is  necessary  to 
pack  the  box  entirely  full,  so  that  no  movement  can 
take  place  ir  the  plants  should  the  boxes  be  roughly  hand- 
led. The  soil  should  be  always  rather  dry  than  other- 
wise, as  packed  in  this  close  manner  the  plants  will  not  suffer 


222  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

for  want  of  moisture.  Boxes  of  medium  size  are  best ; 
we  never  like  to  use  a  box  of  greater  capacity  than  the 
ordinary  flour  barrel,  usually  prefering  such  as  are  one- 
third  smaller  than  that.  If  the  box  is  too  large,  the  plants 
may  be  injured  by  mutual  pressure. 

This  is  our  method  of  packing  as  long  as  there  is  danger 
from  frost,  or  until  the  middle  of  March.  From  the  mid- 
dle of  March  to  the  middle  of  April,  we  use  a  box  of  a 
different  character,  open  on  all  sides  to  admit  air,  for  now 
the  danger  to  be  avoided  is  from  heat  and  not  from  cold. 
The  manner  of  packing  is  in  all  other  respects  the  same, 
except  that  no  more  hay  is  used  around  the  inside  of  the 
box  than  necessary  to  make  a  soft  bed  for  the  plants.  If 
the  closely  packed  plants  have  any  tendency  to  generate 
heat,  it  will  be  counteracted  by  the  admission  of  air 
through  the  openings  in  the  box.  Again,  we  gradually 
make  a  change  in  our  style  of  packing  to  suit  the  advanc- 
ing season.  For  small  orders,  a  light  kind  of  chip  basket 
is  used,  in  which  the  plants  are  packed  in  the  man- 
ner above  described,  and  strapped  over  the  top  with  hay. 
We  find  a  basket  a  most  convenient  and  satisfactory  arti- 
cle to  pack  in,  as  its  open-work  sides  freely  admit  the  air. 
In  baskets  weighing  less  than  two  pounds,  we  pack  from 
100  to  150  plants.  Being  annoyed  at  having  frequently 
to  pay  for  clumsy,  heavy  packages  in  which  our  new  im- 
portations were  received  from  England,  I  took  occasion  to 
send  over  to  a  London  nurseryman  some  fifty  plants  packed 
in  one  of  these  baskets,  the  whole  basket  and  contents  weigh- 
ing only  15  Ibs.,  and  with  two  exceptions  every  plant  was  re- 
ceived alive.  I  implored  the  gentleman  to  pack  the  plants 
he  was  to  send  me  in  return  in  similar  light  baskets,  as  it 
would  not  only  save  freight  but,  what  was  of  far  more 
importance,  save  me  the  plants  alive.  He  sent  them  in 
baskets,  sure  enough,  each  one  weighing  of  itself  40  Ibs., 
— a  shapeless,  ponderous  affair,  that  with  its  contents  re- 
quired two  men  to  lift  it  into  a  wagon.  This  was  not  the 


PLANTS    BY    MAIL.  223 

worst  of  it ;  three-fourths  of  the  plants  were  dead — our 
usual  experience  in  shipments  of  plants  from  Europe.  This 
loss  is,  without  doubt,  in  most  cases  occasioned  by  the 
cumbrous  manner  of  packing. 

When  the  weather  becomes  settled,  so  that  all  danger 
of  plants  being  chilled  is  over,  we  change  our  mode  of 
packing  the  plants  from  laying  them  down  to  standing 
them  upright  in  the  baskets  or  boxes,  beginning  with  the 
heaviest  plants  at  the  bottom  of  the  box  or  basket,  and 
placing  each  succeeding  layer,  to  the  depth  of  three  or 
four,  one  ball  of  roots  on  the  top  of  the  other.  After 
packing,  the  box  or  basket  is  watered  freely,  each  plant, 
or  at  least  a  portion  of  it,  is  exposed  to  the  light,  and  thus 
packed,  they  will  remain  ten  or  twelve  days  without  injury. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

PLANTS  BY  MAIL. 

Our  postal  laws  admit  plants,  seeds,  and  bulbs,  to  be 
sent  at  the  cost  of  two  cents  for  four  ounces,  provided  the 
package  does  not  exceed  four  pounds  in  weight.  This  ar- 
rangement has  been  the  means  of  sending  seeds  and  plants 
into  regions  where  they  would  not  for  many  years  have 
been  procurable  with  other  means  of  conveyance,  and  the 
projector  of  the  idea  deserves  the  gratitude  of  the  nation 
for  it.  A  number  of  different  contrivances  have  been 
invented  for  packing  plants  to  go  by  mail,  including 
boxes  of  various  styles  and  dimensions ;  the  main  difficulty 
with  all  that  we  have  seen  is  the  weight.  Of  late  years 
we  have  dispensed  with  boxes  of  all  kinds,  and  pack  in  the 
following  manner.  Having  selected  the  plants,  choosing 
such  as  are  small  but  well  rooted,  the  soil  is  washed  from 


224  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

each  plant,  leaving  the  fibres  of  the  roots  uninjured.  A 
layer  of  dry  moss  half  an  inch  thick  is  then  spread  on  two  or 
three  thicknesses  of  thick  brown  paper ;  the  plants  are  then 
laid  on  the  moss,  a  similar  layer  of  moss  is  laid  over  the 
the  roots,  and  the  paper,  moss,  and  plants,  are  tightly  rolled 
up.  The  dry  moss  absorbs  the  water  from  the  dripping 
roots,  so  that  thus  tightly  enclosed,  sufficient  moisture  is 
enveloped  in  the  packages  to  keep  the  plants  safe  for  a 
week,  provided  that  the  package  has  been  firmly  wrapped 
up.  Either  additional  paper,  sufficient  to  keep  in  the 
moisture,  or  oiled  silk,  should  be  used  for  the  outer  cover- 
ing. This  process  is  so  simple  that  any  lady  may  transmit 
to  another  some  favorite  plant  or  cutting,  a  distance  of  2,000 
miles,  if  necessary,  at  little  cost.  Where  moss  is  not  pro- 
curable, raw  cotton  will  answer  the  same  purpose ;  the 
only  danger  to  be  avoided  is  in  rolling  up  the  package  too 
loosely,  in  which  case  the  dry  air  will  penetrate  and  will 
be  likely  to  shrivel  up  the  plants.  No  injury  will  result 
to  the  plants  by  tight  wrapping,  provided  cotton  or  moss  has 
been  placed  above  and  below  the  roots  in  sufficient  quantity. 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

THE  PROFITS  OF  FLORICULTURE. 

It  is  much  easier  to  estimate  the  profits  of  the  product 
of  the  soil,  be  it  in  fruits  or  vegetables,  than  to  define 
by  any  certain  rule  what  the  profits  of  our  green-house 
floriculture  are.  In  fact,  we  can  only  approximate  to  it,  be- 
cause the  conditions  in  which  the  operations  are  carried 
on  at  different  places,  or  the  different  articles  grown,  make 
anything  like  a  general  average  for  the  whole  country  im- 


THE    PROFITS    OP    FLOEICUJ/TURE.  225 

possible.  But,  as  we  have  heretofore  done,  we  will  confine 
ourselves  to  the  district  of  New  York,  which  may  be  taken 
at  the  present  time  as  a  fair  representation  of  the  whole 
country. 

The  capital  required  in  starting  this  department  of  hor- 
ticulture I  consider  need  not  be  so  much  as  in  that  of 
either  nursery,  vegetable,  or  fruit  growing,  and  the 
chances  of  moderate  success  I  believe,  from  my  observa- 
tions, to  be  far  greater.  I  say  moderate  success,  for  the 
chances  of  making  a  colossal  fortune  in  this  are  by  no 
means  so  great  as  in  the  regular  nursery  business,  while 
to  offset  this  the  chances  of  failure  are  less,  and  the  busi- 
ness is  pleasanter  and  less  exhaustive  to  follow.  I  have 
hardly  ever  known  a  man  who  started  in  the  florist's  busi- 
ness to  fail,  unless  he  brought  failure  on  himself  by  his 
own  imprudence ;  while  I  have  known  scores  to  fail  in  the 
vegetable  and  nursery  business,  from  causes  entirely  be- 
yond their  control.  A  frugal  man,  with  a  knowledge  of 
the  business  and  $1,000  capital,  may  safely  start  in  this 
vicinity,  or  in  any  vicinity  where  there  is  a  town  of  10,000 
inhabitants  of  average  intelligence  and  culture.  But  the 
difficult  question  with  all  at  starting  is  how  to  make  that 
$1,000  best  available.  Of  course  expensive  erections,  such 
as  we  have  described  in  the  chapter  on  green-house  struc- 
tures, are  beyond  his  means,  and  something  cheaper  must 
be  adopted.  The  general  principle  on  which  these  green- 
houses are  formed  is  in  all  respects  the  same,  and  the 
beginner  with  limited  means,  instead  of  erecting  three 
houses,  need  erect  only  one,  which  should  not  be  more  than 
50  feet  long  and  of  a  width  of  11  Yeet  in  the  clear.  The 
proportions  of  height,  <fcc.,  will  be  found  in  the  drawing 
on  page  57.  The  sides  may  be  formed  of  cedar  or  chest- 
nut posts  planked  to  the  required  height,  having  a  lining 
of  tarred  paper  between  the  boards.  In  this  way,  at 
present  prices,  a  structure  of  this  kind  with  flue,  benches 
and  all  complete  need  not  cost  more  than  six  or  eight  dollars 


226  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

per  running  foot,  or  $300  or  $400  for  a  house  of  50  feet. 
But  something  else  will  be  needed  besides  the  house,  and 
sunken  pits  or  cold  frames  should  be  erected  parallel  with 
the  east  side  of  the  green-house  and  connected  with  it.  A  por- 
tion, say  half,  of  these,  should  be  excavated  to  the  depth 
of  2  feet,  and  used  as  a  sunken  pit  for  Roses,  &c.,  as  de- 
scribed in  the  chapter  on  Roses ;  the  cold  frame  portion, 
which  is  not  sunken  but  made  level  with  the  soil,  can  be 
used  to  grow  the  hardier  sorts  of  flowers,  as  Pansies,  Dai- 
sies, Pinks,  &c.  I  here  again  repeat  that  the  Rose,  unless 
grown  to  force  for  winter  flowers,  is  easily  injured  by  fire 
heat,  which  it  must  necessarily  receive  if  placed  in  the 
green-house,  in  which  are  grown  a  variety  of  plants  that  re- 
quire fire  heat. 

These  pits  and  cold  frames  should  be  covered  up  care- 
fully, either  with  shutters  or  mats,  during  severe  weathe? 
in  winter,  and  care  taken  that  all  water  is  thoroughly 
drained  off  from  them.  These  sunken  pits  and  cold 
frames  of  25  feet  each  will  cost  say  $100,  which,  togeth- 
er with  the  purchase  of  stock  and  coal  to  last  through 
the  winter,  would  make  the  expenditure  to  this  date,  No- 
vember, $600  or  $700,  leaving  $300  or  $400  for  expenses  in 
winter,  or  until  sales  open  in  spring.  If  the  plants 
have  been  handled  with  even  average  skill,  the  sales 
should  by  June  give  a  profit  of  at  least  50  per  cent  on 
the  capital  invested,  supposing  the  plants  to  be  sold  at  the 
average  retail  rates. 

I  am  not  prepared  to  say  what  the  profits  on  the  capita] 
invested  are  when  business  is  done  on  a  large  scale,  the 
articles  grown,  the  manner  of  selling,  and  economy  of 
management,  being  so  varied  that  in  this,  as  in  all  other 
occupations  in  life,  we  have  all  degrees  of  success.  But  the 
broad  fact  is  beyond  question  that  the  profits  of  the  business 
will  compare  favorably  with  the  general  run  of  business 
in  which  the  same  capital  is  invested. 

One  fact,  very  flattering  to  our  florists  in   this  country 


THE    PBOFITS    OF    FLORICULTUKE.  227 

is,  that  although  our  plants  on  an  average  are  sold  lowei 
than  they  are  in  England,  and  our  new  plants  at  less  than 
one-fourth  of  the  prices  obtained  there,  the  business  is 
more  profitable  here  than  there.  Why  is  this?  the  reader 
may  doubtingly  ask.  Simply  that  our  necessities  with  re- 
gard to  labor  compel  us  to  apply  our  common  sense  to  the 
work,  and  we  cut  loose  from  many  of  the  established  rules 
with  which  English  florists  are  yet  stupidly  trammelled. 

In  two  of  the  leading  London  establishments,  having  each 
about  50,000  feet  of  glass,  the  average  number  of  hands 
employed  during  the  year  is  fifty.  The  same  quantity  of 
glass  would  be  worked  here  in  a  style  quite  equal  to 
theirs,  as  far  as  the  quality  of  the  plants  goes,  with  less 
than  one-third  of  that  number.  I  am  informed  by  a  gen- 
tleman who  was  for  many  years  connected  with  one  of 
these  English  establishments,  that  the  profits  did  not  ex- 
ceed 10  per  cent  of  the  sales.  I  am  afraid  that  the  small- 
est operator  of  us  all  here  would  soon  quit  the  work  if  it 
gave  no  better  results. 

What  is  true  of  the  florist's  business  I  believe  to  be  equal- 
ly true  of  the  nursery  trade,  and  it  is  much  to  be  doubted 
if  that  business  anywhere  in  all  Europe  is  so  simply  yet 
profitably  carried  on  as  it  is  in  the  great  nurseries  of 
Rochester  and  Geneva. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIIL 

HOW    TO    BECOME    A    FLORIST. 

I  am  often  asked  the  question  if  it  is  necessary  in  order 
to  become  a  florist  to  enter  some  large  establishment 
for  a  few  years,  or  whether  it  is  possible  to  learn 
from  reading  only.  I  reply,  if  it  can  be  afforded,  it  will 
be  best  by  all  means  to  serve  at  least  two  years  in 


228  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

some  well-conducted  establishment — one  that  has  been 
long  enough  established  to  have  made  the  business  a  suc- 
cess, for  the  best  index  of  ability  in  any  business  is  suc- 
cess. I  have  said,  if  it  can  be  afforded,  as  for  the  first 
two  years,  unless  a  youth  prove  himself  unusually  smart, 
he  will  not  likely  receive  more  than  enough  to  pay  his 
board,  for  he  is  simply  an  apprentice  under  instructions, 
who  has  come  with  the  design  of  leaving  when  he  has 
acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  trade,  and  just  at  the  time 
that  he  begins  to  be  of  use  to  his  employer. 

But  to  those  to  whom  it  would  be  inconvenient  to  place 
themselves  thus  under  instructions,  a  knowledge  of  the 
business  could  be  unquestionably  obtained  from  books, 
particularly  if  actual  practice  were  followed  conjointly 
with  the  reading.  There  are  upward  of  a  hundred  of  my 
patrons  (about  one  tenth  of  whom  are  ladies),  located  in 
neai-ly  every  State  of  the  Union,  who  have  worked  them- 
selves into  the  florists'  business  exclusively  by  reading 
and  their  own  practice,  having  had  no  opportunity  for 
other  instruction.  In  not  a  few  cases  some  of  these  have 
got  ahead  of  what  is  known  as  professional  gardeners, 
those  who  have  had  no  other  experience  than  that  received 
in  private  gardens  in  Europe,  which  by  no  means  fits  them 
for  the  American  style  of  commercial  floriculture.  The 
increase  of  taste  for  flowers  for  the  past  twenty  years  has 
been  truly  wonderful.  A  gentleman  who  has  a  turn  for 
statistics  in  this  particular  line,  informed  me  that  he  had 
begun  to  procure  information  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try of  the  numbers  engaged  in  the  trade  together  with 
the  capital  employed.  He  said  that  his  investigations  for 
this  locality,  taken  in  the  rough,  extending  in  a  radius  of 
ten  miles  from  the  center  of  New  York  Island,  proved 
that  the  number  of  florists'  establishments  was  about  five 
hundred,  and  the  capital  used  in  stock  and  structures 
upwards  of  $6,000,000.  If  the  number  of  establishments 
is  nearly  correct — and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  it — I 


SOFT-WOODED    OR   BEDDING   PLANTS.  229 

am  certain  that  the  value  is  not  overestimated,  as  we  have 
at  least  half  a  dozen  establishments  where  the  capital 
used  in  stock  and  buildings  must  be  nearly  $100,000  each. 
And  this,  too,  in  New  York  and  its  suburbs,  where  the 
taste  is  lower  than  it  is  in  either  Boston  or  Philadelphia. 
In  those  places,  no  doubt,  their  excellent  horticultural 
societies  have  done  much  to  refine  the  tastes  of  the  people, 
and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  neither  New  York  nor  its 
adjacent  cities,  with  probably  over  two  millions  of  people, 
have  a  single  horticultural  or  floricultural  society. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

SHORT    DESCRIPTIONS    OF    SOFT-WOODED    OR    BEDDING 
PLANTS    OF    THE    LEADING    KINDS. 

Antirrhinum  ma  jus.  (Snap  Dragon),  now  comprises 
varieties  of  all  shades  and  markings ;  in  colors  of  yellow, 
white,  crimson,  scarlet-orange,  rose,  etc.  A  dwarf  style 
does  not  exceed  six  inches  in  height.  Grown  from  seed 
or  cuttings. 

Bouvardia  triphylla.  —  An  orange-scarlet,  summer- 
blooming  variety.  See  Winter-Flowering  Plants. 

Begonias, — See  Winter-Flowering  Plants. 

Calceolarias,  Shrubby. — Plants  blooming  from  June  to 
October  in  the  open  ground ;  colors  ranging  from  light 
yellow  to  deep  crimson.  Grown  from  seed  or  cuttings. 

Calceolarias,  Herbaceous, — These  are  grown  from  seed 
sown  in  August  or  September,  and  when  well  grown, 
form  plants  of  great  beauty  and  interest  for  the  green- 
house, in  April  and  May.  Their  pocket-like  flowers  are 
finely  spotted,  and  embrace  a  great  range  of  color. 
Plants  of  the  dwarf  varieties  do  not  exceed  one  foot  in 
diameter,  and  are  favorites  with  all  lovers  of  flowers. 

Canna  Indica,  and  varieties.  —  Plants  of  majestic 
growth,  well  adapted  for  grouping  on  lawns.  The  roots 


230  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

are  dug  up  in  fall,  and  kept  as  we  preserve  Dahlias.  Pro- 
pagation, division  of  the  root  or  by  seeds.  See  p.  86. 

Carnations,  Monthly. — These,  when  planted  out,  bloom 
profusely  from  July  to  November.  See  Plants  for  Win- 
ter-Flowering. 

Cinerarias. — The  treatment  is  the  same  as  for  Her- 
baceous Calceolarias,  to  which  they  form  an  excellent 
contrast  as  green-house  ornaments  in  spring. 

Coleus  Verschaffeltii  and  others  are  grown  as  bedding 
plants  for  their  foliage  only;  There  are  now  scores  of  varie- 
ties, all  of  which  require  a  temperature  in  winter  of  not 
lower  than  60°  ;  with  less  than  that  there  will  be  much  dif- 
ficulty in  keeping  them.  Being  tender,  they  should  not 
be  planted  out  for  bedding  purposes  until  the  weather 
has  become  settled  and  warm.  Propagation  by  cuttings. 

Caladium  esrulentum. — A  plant  with  enormous  shield- 
shaped  leaves,  which  often  measure  30  by  20  inches.  The 
plant  attains  a  height  of  5  or  6  feet,  and  is  a  striking  ob- 
ject when  planted  on  a  lawn.  There  are  numerous  other 
Caladiums  with  beautifully  shaded  and  spotted  leaves, 
grown  as  stove  plants. 

Chrysanthemums,  Chinese. — These  consist  of  three 
classes,  the  Large  Flowering,  the  Pompone  or  Houquet, 
and  the  Japanese. 

There  is  no  plant  that  we  cultivate,  with  the  exception 
perhaps,  of  the  Dahlia,  that  assumes  such  an  extended 
range  of  color — crimson,  orange,  yellow,  pink,  white, 
carmine,  and  purple,  being  blended  in  every  conceivable 
shade.  Cuttings  planted  out  in  May  will  produce,  by 
topping,  large,  bushy  plants  that  will  bloom  in  October ; 
they  are  entirely  hardy  in  this  latitude,  and  will  stand 
with  slight  covering,  which  should  be  put  on  late  in  fall, 
say  December  15th,  in  the  extreme  Northern  States. 
They  are  often  lifted  and  potted  in  fall,  and  form  hand- 
some green-house  or  parlor  plants  until  December. 

Delphiniums,  or  Larkspurs. — The  perennial  varieties  of 


SOFT-WOODED  OB  BEDDING  PLANTS.  231 

these  can  nearly  all  be  used  as  continued  summer-bloom- 
ing bedding  plants,  if  the  seed  is  sown  in  a  hot-bed  or 
green-house  in  February,  and  the  plants  put  out  in  the 
open  border  in  May.  Their  great  value  consists  in  their 
rare  shades  of  blue,  a  color  always  scarce  in  flowers. 
Well-known  varieties  are  D.  Mcolor  grandiflorum,  and  D. 
formosum,  both  have  a  deep  mazarine  blue  ground,  with 
distinct  spot  in  the  centre  of  each  floret.  All  the  peren- 
nial species  and  varieties  are  hardy.  To  these  may  be 
added  D.  nudicaule,  a  new  fine  red  dwarf  species. 

Dahlias. — The  climate  of  the  Eastern  and  North-west- 
ern States  is  better  adapted  to  the  early  development  of 
the  flowers  of  the  Dahlia  than  warmer  latitudes,  and 
thus  we  find  that  though  the  frosts  occur  here  earlier  in 
fall,  yet  the  season  of  flowering  is  of  longer  duration  than 
in  districts  where  the  fall  frosts  are  later  in  coming ;  hence 
the  climate  of  Boston  or  New  York  is  better  for  Dahlias 
than  that  of  Baltimore  or  Washington.  The  perfection 
that  is  attained,  both  in  form  and  color  of  the  Dahlia, 
is  now  wonderful.  They  are  divided  into  four  classes, 
namely : 
BEDDING. — Dwarf,  profuse-flowering  sorts,  that  are  pruned 

down  so  that  they  do  not  exceed  a  foot  in,  height. 
BOUQUET  or  POMPONE. — The  flowers  of  many  of  these 

do  not  exceed  1£  inches  in  diameter,  and  are  perfect 

models  in  form, 
EXHIBITION  or  SHOW. — The  large-flowered,  self-colored,  or 

tipped  varieties. 
FANCY. — The  striped  or  speckled  kinds. 

Dahlias  are  propagated  by  division  of  the  tuber,  or  (as 
done  by  florists)  by  cuttings.  Plant  out  when  all  danger 
of  frost  is  over,  in  rich  soil  3  or  4  feet  apart,  thin  out 
superfluous  shoots,  and  tie  to  strong  stakes;  lift  in  fall 
when  cut  down  by  frost,  and  keep  in  a  dry,  warm  cellar,  or 
under  the  stage  of  a  green-house,  only  in  such  a  position 


232  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTUKK. 

that  they  will  not  be  dried  too  much.  Amateurs,  to  be 
safe,  should  first  dry  them  well,  and  then  pack  them  in 
boxes  in  dry  sand. 

Fuchsias  are  the  most  graceful  of  all  cultivated  plants. 
Nothing,  in  our  opinion,  can  surpass  the  beauty  of  well- 
grown  specimens.  They  are  of  the  easiest  culture ;  plants 
rooted  from  cuttings  in  January  can  be  grown  with  ease 
to  6  feet  in  height  in  June,  by  due  attention  to  repotting  as 
the  plants  make  root.  When  grown  as  specimens,  at 
least  half  the  soil  should  be  rotted  cow  manure  or  rotted 
refuse  hops.  They  are  also  well  adapted  as  bedding 
plants  for  the  flower-garden,  in  cool  and  partially  shaded 
situations.  The  dark-flowered  varieties  are  best  fitted  for 
bedding.  There  are  also  a  few  winter-flowering  sorts 
described  in  chapter  on  Winter  Flowering  Plants.  One 
of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  newer  varieties,  "  Day  Dream," 
is  very  popular. 

Geraniums,  botanically  speaking,  are  nearly  all  hardy, 
herbaceous  plants,  a  short  list  of  which  will  be  found  un- 
der that  head ;  but  Geraniums  popularly  known  as  such 
are  those  that  are  about  to  be  described,  and  we  believe 
that  a  large  majority  of  our  readers  will  agree  with  us  in 
using  the  popular  name,  rather  than  the  botanical  one  of 
Pelargonium. 

Geranium,  Zonale, — This  is  perhaps  the  best  known 
type  of  the  class,  so  called  from  the  leaves  of  many  of  the 
varieties  being  marked  with  a  dark  band  or  zone.  This  is 
the  bedding  plant,  par  excellence,  of  the  easiest  propaga- 
tion by  cuttings,  always  healthy  and  of  free  growth  in 
almost  all  soils  and  situations,  blooming  in  summer 
from  June  to  October,  and,  if  desired,  it  will  continue 
its  flowering  in  the  green-house  to  June  again.  The  va- 
rieties are  endless,  ranging  in  every  shade  of  white,  rose, 
crimson,  scarlet,  carmine,  &c.,  &c.  At  the  present 
time  there  are  hundreds  of  double  varieties,  comprising 


SOFT-WOODED    OR   BEDDING   PLANTS.  233 

all  the  colors ;  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  a  short  time 
will  give  us  double  sorts  of  all  the  shades  we  have  in  the 
single.  A  striped  variety  of  L'  Incomparable  was  pro- 
duced in  1867. 

Geraniums,  Variegated-leaved, — These  are  divided  in. 
to  five  classes,  namely,  "  Golden  margined,"  "  Silver  mar- 
gined," "Golden  tricolor,"  ''Silver  tricolor,"  and 
"Bronzed." 

GOLDEN  MARGINED. — This  class,  of  which  the  variety 
called  "  Golden  Belt "  is  the  type,  has  the  margin  of  the 
leaf  golden'yellow  to  one-third  its  depth,  with  occasional- 
ly a  dark  zone,  the  part  of  the  leaf  toward  the  footstalk 
being  green.  The  flowers  of  this  class  are  usually-scarlet 
or  crimson ;  they  are  good  bedders  in  cool  soils. 

SILVER  MARGINED.  —  These  are  generally  of  strong 
growth,  equal  to  the  Zonale.  One  of  the  finest  of  this  sec- 
tion is  the  Mountain  of  Snow,  a  variety  having  half  of 
the  leaf  nearly  white,  with  large  trusses  of  bright  scarlet 
flowers. 

GERANIUMS,  GOLDEN  TRICOLORS. — These  are  grown  al- 
most exclusively  for  their  leaves,  which  in  their  wonderful 
beauty  are  triumphs  of  horticultural  art.  The  bands  of 
yellow,  crimson,  orange,  and  carmine,  on  a  ground-work  of 
green,  rival,  while  they  somewhat  resemble,  the  tints  of  the 
rainbow.  A  well-known  and  beautiful  type  of  this  class  is 
the  variety  Mrs.  Pollock;  this,  in  our  grounds,  has  grown 
vigorously  in  the  open  border  for  the  past  two  seasons. 

GERANIUMS,  SILVER  TRICOLORS. -^-These  are  belted  with 
white,  carmine,  and  crimson,  on  a  green  ground,  forming 
a  beautiful  contrast  to  the  preceding.  A  well-known  typo 
of  this  class  is  "  Moonbeam." 

GERANIUMS,  BRONZE-LEAVED. — An  unique  class,  having 
the  ground  color  of  the  leaves  yellow,  with  a  dark  red  or 
brown  zone.  The  flowers  of  most  of  these  are  scarlet,  and 


234  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

are  borne  in  great  profusion.  About  the  finest  of  this 
section  is  known  as  Golden  Model. 

GERANIUMS,  IVY-LEAVED. — Of  these  there  are  now  many 
beautiful  varieties.  They  are  all  climbing  or  trailing  plants, 
some  of  which,  Peltatum  elegans,  for  example,  have  glossy 
green,  wax-like  leaves,  with  a  black  zone  ;  others,  like  the 
Holly  Wreath,  have  leaves  margined  with  white,  as  in  the 
silver  margined  zonales.  The  flowers  are  borne  in  large 
trusses  of  white,  carmine,  or  lilac.  All  the  class  are  well 
adapted  for  baskets  or  for  trellis  work. 

GERANIUMS,  SCENTED-LEAVED. — These  embrace  plants  of 
widely  different  appearance,  such  as  "  Apple,"  "  Lemon," 
"Citron,"  "Rose,"  "Peppermint,"  and  "Nutmeg- 
scented,"  with  many  others.  The  rose  and  lemon-scented 
are  extensively  used  for  mixing  with  flowers  in  making 
bouquets,  &c. 

Hollyhock. — For  extensive  grounds  this  is  an  exceed- 
ingly showy  flower.  The  flower  spike  attains  a  height  of 
six  or  eight  feet,  covered  with  flowers  to  the  extent  of 
two  feet.  The  varieties  embrace  a  great  range  of  color — 
white,  scarlet,  yellow,  orange,  crimson,  rose,  maroon,  <fcc. — 
many  having  these  colors  curiously  blended.  The  Holly- 
hock seeds  freely  from  double  flowers,  the  colors  in  almost 
every  case  coming  true  from  seeds.  Seeds  are  to  be  sown 
when  ripe  in  September,  and  the  plants,  if  slightly  pro- 
tected by  covering  with  hay  or  leaves,  will  bloom  profuse- 
ly the  next  season. 

Heliotropes.— These  comprise  but  little  range  of  color, 
being  mostly  shades  of  lilac  and  blue,  some  of  the  newer 
sorts,  however,  being  nearly  white.  What  they  want 
in  gaudiness  of  color,  they  well  compensate  for  in 
their  delicacy  of  fragrance.  The  varieties  are  numerous, 
but  many  of  them  are  not  very  distinct.  Those  forming 
the  greatest  contrast  are  Boule  de  Neige  (blush  white), 
and  Purpurine,  (dark  violet.) 


SOFT-WOODED    OR    BEDDIXG    PLANTS.  235 

Lemon  Verbena  (Aloysia  citriodora)  is  largely  grown  for 
the  fragrance  of  the  leaves,  which  are  indispensable  as  a 
"  green  "  in  summer  bouquets.  The  plant  is  deciduous, 
(losing  its  leaves  in  winter),  and  may  be  kept  under  the 
stage  of  the  green-house,  or  in  the  cellar  during  winter. 
The  Lemon  Verbena  makes  a  highly  ornamental  plant 
when  grown  like  a  standard  Rose,  that  is,  by  allowing 
only  one  shoot  to  grow  to  a  height  of  five  or  six  feet,  then 
permitting  it  to  branch  out  at  the  top. 

LantanaSi — These  require  more  heat,  to  keep  them  in 
good  condition  during  the  winter,  than  do  most  bedding 
plants,  and  for  this  reason  are  not  so  common  as  many 
others  less  worthy  of  cultivation.  The  colors  are 
orange,  yellow,  pink,  scarlet,  crimson,  and  white,  blend- 
ing and  changing  to  a  remarkable  degree.  Often 
different  flowers  growing  on  the  same  plant  will  be 
entirely  unlike.  Plants  from  cuttings  set  out  in  May  or 
June  attain  a  diameter  of  four  or  five  feet  by  fall,  bloom- 
ing profusely  throughout  the  entire  summer  and  fall 
months. 

Lobelia  gracilis,  and  its  varieties,  are  all  low-growing 
plants,  mostly  with  blue  and  white  flowers,  though  some  of 
the  varieties  of  later  date  are  lilac  or  rose  color.  They 
are  admirably  adapted  for  the  front  lines  of  "  ribbon  bord- 
ers," and  for  hanging  baskets  or  vases ;  they  bloom  pro- 
fusely from  June  to  November,  and  may  be  easily  kept 
as  parlor  plants,  if  desired. 

MimulllS  luteus  (or  Monkey  Flower)  comprises  numer- 
ous varieties,  with  white,  sulphur,  and  yellow  grounds, 
beautifully  spotted  with  crimson,  scarlet,  pink,  &c.  They 
luxuriate  in  damp,  shady  situations,  and  bloom  profusely 
during  the  early  summer  months.  A  double  variety,  call- 
ed Hose-upon-hose,  is  a  very  remarkable  sort. 

MimulllS  moschatus  (Musk  Plant),  is  grown  for  ita 
odor  of  musk,  which  the  leaves  have  in  a  marked  degree. 
Flowers  yellow. 


236  PRACTICAL    FLORICTJI/TTJRK 

PentStemons,  (Hybrids). — Plants  vet  comparatively  lit- 
tle known.  The  plant  in  general  appearance  somewhat 
resembles  the  Antirrhinum  (or  Snap  Dragon)  but  as- 
sumes an  entirely  different  range  of  color,  the  flowers 
being  carmine,  violet,  crimson,  vermilion,  and  other  shades 
of  red,  with  a  distinctly  marked  white  throat  in  most  of 
the  varieties.  They  bloom  throughout  the  summer 
months,  and  may  be  kept  with  half  hardy  plants  in  a  cold 
frame  in  winter. 

Petunias,  (double  and  single)  are  now  so  well  known 
that  a  description  is  hardly  necessary.  The  single  varie- 
ties, when  wanted  for  bedding,  make  finer  plants  if  raised 
from  seed  sown  in  January  and  February  than  from  cut- 
tings. The  double  varieties,  of  course,  are  mainly  raised 
from  cuttings,  but  are  more  used  by  the  florists  as  pot 
plants  than  for  bedding  purposes,  as  they  flower  less  pro- 
fusely and  are  generally  less  showy  than  the  single  sorts. 

The  most  valued  of  the  single  sorts  are  those  with  white 
grounds,  marked  with  crimson  blotches  or  stripes ;  those 
of  the  double,  with  crimson  ground  with  white-edged  pet- 
als. There  are  numerous  varieties  kept  to  name,  but  the 
majority  of  them  are  of  only  local  interest. 

Pinks,  Florist's, — Hardy,  evergreen,  herbaceous  plants, 
blooming  in  June.  The  prevailing  colors  are  maroon,  crim- 
son, rose,  and  white.  They  are  much  used  in  their  season 
for  summer  bouquets,  the  flowers  keeping  well,  besides 
being  all  of  a  rich  clove-scented  fragrance. 

Pinks,  Male. — Similar  in  general  character  to  the  preced- 
ing, but  having  smaller  flowers,  entirely  distinct  in  form 
and  color.  The  varieties  are  few,  and  are  known  as  the 
crimson,  rose,  white,  and  striped  sorts. 

Pyrethrum  Golden  Feather,— A  new  plant,  a  "  sport " 
from  the  well-known  Pyrethrum  Parthenivm,  or  Fever- 
few, having  leaves,  as  the  name  indicates,  of  a  golden 
shade.  For  baskets  during  winter  or  spring,  or  for  a  ribbon 


SOFT-WOODED    OR   BEDDINO   PLANTS.  237 

fine  plant,  to  contrast  with  Coleus  or  Achyranthes  during 
the  spring  or  fall  months  it  is  valuable.  It,  however,  loses 
its  rich  shade  of  yellow  during  the  hot  weather,  which 
rather  mars  its  utility  for  bedding  purposes. 

Pelargoniums. — If  I  was  confined  to  grow  but  a  single 
genus  of  plants  for  conservatory  decoration,  the  Pelargo- 
nium would  be  chosen.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  richness 
of  coloring  of  the  flowers ;  an  attempt  to  describe  it  would 
be  a  failure.  They  are  classed  as  "  show  "  and  "  fancy  " 
varieties.  The  "  show  "  are  the  strong-growing  and  large- 
flowered  section ;  the  "  fancy "  are  those  with  smaller 
leaves,  dwarfer  growth,  and  flowers  of  smaller  size,  but 
having  the  property  of  flowering  later  in  the  season  than 
the  others.  The  colors  of  the  Pelargonium  are  carmine, 
vermilion,  orange-crimson,  blackish-maroon,  and  white, 
so  disposed  in  many  varieties  as  to  resemble  the  work  of 
the  painter,  rather  than  the  work  of  nature.  To  be  grown 
in  perfection  they  should  be  shifted  into  larger  pots  as  soon 
as  the  roots  begin  to  mat  the  outside  of  the  balls,  the 
shoots  pinched  back  until  they  begin  to  set  their  flower 
buds  in  March  or  April,  when  they  must  be  placed  close  to 
the  light,  and  never  allowed  to  wilt  for  want  of  water. 
Plants  struck  from  cuttings  in  January  may  be  grown  to 
a  diameter  of  2  feet  by  May,  but  for  specimens  of  extra 
size,  plants  a  year  old  are  necessary.  They  should  be  kept 
in  pots  and  under  glass  during  summer,  as  they  are  very 
liable  to  injury  from  continued  rains. 

Stocks,  Intermediate,  crimson  and  white.  Seed  of  these 
sown  in  September,  and  potted  in  October,  shifting  as  nec- 
essary through  the  winter,  will  make  fine  plants,  to  bloom 
in  May.  These  may  be  planted  out  in  the  open  border, 
and  will  continue  in  bloom  until  July.  Ten  Week's  Stocks 
are  also  effective  as  border  plants,  and  may  be  sown  in  the 
hot-bed  in  March  and  planted  out  in  May.  The  variety 
of  these  is  now  very  large. 


2:-8  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

Salvias,  (Scarlet  and  Blue  Sage). — No  plant  that  is  used 
for  the  flower  border  holds  a  higher  reputation  amongst 
amateurs  than  these,  particularly  the  former.  Its  bright 
scarlet,  feather-like  plumes  are  unrivalled  from  July  to 
October,  and  in  warmer  latitudes  continue  for  months 
later.  It  is  best  raised  from  seeds  sown  in  the  green-house 
or  hot-bed  in  March  and  planted  out  in  May.  The  blue 
sage  (S.  patens)  seeds  very  sparingly,  and  is  generally 
raised  from  cuttings.  Its  shade  of  blue  is  unsurpassed  by 
any  flower  of  the  garden,  but  the  flowers  drop  quickly 
and  it  never  shows  the  density  of  spike  of  the  scarlet 
sorts.  A  fine  white  variety  was  introduced  last  spring. 

Tuberose, — See  special  chapter. 

Tropaeolnm.  Hybrids.  (Nasturtiums.) — The  dwarf  sorts 
of  these  are  very  desirable,  blooming  without  intermission 
from  June  to  October.  The  scarlet  varieties,  in  particular, 
are  exceedingly  showy ;  when  grown  on  poor,  dry  soil  or 
among  rocks  they  show  to  much  better  advantage,  as  rich 
soil  causes  them  to  produce  leaves  so  abundantly  as  to  hide 
the  flowers.  They  are  for  this  reason  well  adapted  for 
vases,  as  they  stand  heat  and  drought  well.  There  are 
some  beautiful  yellow  varieties  marked  with  crimson  ;  also 
some  of  a  dark  maroon,  almost  black,  but,  as  we  have  be- 
fore said,  the  bright  scarlet  sorts  are  most  desirable. 

Violets,— See  special  chapter. 

TerbenaS, — See  special  chapter. 

Zinnias,  Double. — Although  these  are  now  common 
enough  as  annual  plants,  their  great  value  as  ornaments  for 
the  flower  garden  deserves  brief  notice.  To  have  them  de- 
velop in  perfection  they  should  be  sown  under  glass  in 
March  or  April  and  planted  out  in  May.  The  first  flowers 
usually  do  not  come  double,  but  towards  the  end  of  sum- 
mer, if  the  seed  be  of  a  good  "strain,"  flowers  will  be 
produced  rivalling  the  Dahlia  in  symmetry,  and  of  varied 
and  novel  shades  of  coloring. 


SOFT-WOODED    OR    BEDDING    PLANTS.  239 

PROPAGATING  SOFT-WOODED  PLANTS  IN   SUMMER. 

The  following,  which  appeared  in  the  American  Horti- 
cultural Annual  for  1868,  maybe  appropriately  introduced 
here : 

Every  one  who  has  attempted  the  propagation  of  plants 
by  cuttings  during  the  high  temperature  we  have  in  the 
months  of  July  and  August,  is  aware  of  the  great  difficulty 
experienced  in  doing  so,  no  matter  what  system  or  process 
is  resorted  to.  In  those  months  plants  of  a  succulent  na- 
ture, such  as  Carnations,  Geraniums,  Petunias,  etc.,  etc., 
grow  rapidly,  and  the  shoots  formed  are  in  consequence 
watery  and  soft,  so  that,  when  detached  from  the  plant  and 
used  for  propagation  at  that  hot  season  of  the  year,  when 
the  thermometer  will  average  75°  or  80°  in  the  shade,  the 
chances  are  that  few  will  root,  but  will,  as  gardeners  term 
it, "  damp  off"  in  a  few  days  after  being  put  in  as  cut- 
tings. In  ordinary  cases,  with  those  having  the  means 
of  propagating  plants,  this  difficulty  in  rooting  cuttings 
during  the  summer  months  is  not  of  much  importance,  as 
florists  usually  reserve  stock  enough  to  enable  them  to 
produce  all  the  cuttings  they  require  at  the  proper  season 
for  propagating,  namely  September,  October,  and  Novem- 
ber. But  with  amateurs,  who  have  but  a  plant  or  two  of 
some"  favorite  variety  and  who  wish  safely  to  increase  it, 
or  to  the  florist  wishing  to  make  the  most  of  some  valua- 
ble importation,  this  (to  us)  new  practice  is  likely  to  prove 
of  some  benefit.  The  increasing  taste  for  the  new  kinds 
of  variegated  Pelargoniums  induced  us  to  import  a  num- 
ber of  the  tricolor  section,  of  which  the  now  comparatively 
•\vell-known  sort  Mrs.  Pollock  is  a  type.  These  we  found 
to  grow  rather  slowly,  and  to  increase  them  to  the  best 
advantage  became  a  matter  of  consideration.  Layering 
in  the  usual  way,  by  bending  them  down  to  the  ground, 
was,  of  course,  in  plants  of  that  style  of  growth,  all  but 
impracticable.  To  have  taken  off  cuttings  would  have 


240  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

not  only  farther  enfeebled  already  feeble  plants,  but  the 
prospect  of  rooting  these  cuttings  in  hot  weather  was 
nearly  hopeless ;  so  a  compromise  was  decided  on,  which, 
for  want  of  a  better  term,  we  call  "  layering  in  the  air." 
As  shown  in  figure  69,  the  shoot  is  "  tongued "  in  the 


Fig.  69. — MANNER  OF  TONGUIXG  THE  GEBANITTM. 

manner  of  an  ordinary  layer.  This  has  the  effect  to  arrest 
the  upward  flow  of  the  sap  at  the  incision,  which,  of  course, 
acting  to  some  extent  as  if  the  shoot  had  been  taken  off, 
induces  a  branching  out  below  the  "layer,"  providing 
shoots  for  further  operations.  But  the  effect  on  the  vigor 
of  the  plant  is  much  better  than  if  the  layer  or  shoot  had 
been  detached ;  for,  by  the  tune  it  takes  to  get  hardened 
and  form  a  callus,  the  shoots  branching  out  below  the  cut 
are  fit  to  supply  the  loss  of  foliage  sustained  when  the 


SOFT-WOODED    OR    BEDDING    PLANTS.  241 

layer  or  cutting  is  detached.  The  cutting  or  "layer"  is 
in  condition  to  be  cut  off  in  five  or  six  days  from  the  time 
it  has  been  tongued,  and  will  be  found  not  only  to  be 
healed  up,  and  in  such  a  condition  that  it  will  quickly  emit 
roots,  but  the  whole  cutting  presents  a  well-ripened, 
firm  condition,  not  easily  described,  but  readily  detected 
by  the  practical  propagator.  When  detached,  they  should 
be  treated  in  all  respects  as  ordinary  cuttings,  duly 
watered,  and  shaded  for  a  few  days  until  they  strike  out 
roots,  when  they  are  potted  off  in  small  pots  in  the  usual 
manner.  During  the  unprecedently  wet  summer  that  we 
had  in  1867,  we  found  that  many  of  the  plants  of  the  va- 
riegated Pelargoniums  and  variegated  Rose  Geranium 
"  Lady  Plymouth,"  operated  on  in  this  manner,  produced 
roots  half  an  inch  in  length,  as  they  hung  in  the  air ;  but 
this  was  of  no  special  advantage,  as  we  found  that  those 
that  merely  healed  up  and  callused  made  just  as  fine  plants 
as  those  that  had  formed  roots  before  being  cut  off. 

Plants  thus  formed  make  much  finer  plants  than  regular 
layers,  as  they  are  to  all  intents  and  purpose  cuttings,  and 
consequently,  unlike  layers,  are  not  long  dependent  on  the 
parent  plant  for  support,  being  indebted  little  or  nothing 
to  the  old  plant  during  their  development.  By  this  sys- 
tem of  propagation  we  have  had  the  satisfaction  this  sea- 
son of  doubling  our  stock  of  many  rare  and  valuable  plants, 
which  it  would  have  been  perfectly  impracticable  to  do  in 
the  usual  manner  during  the  hot  months. 


242  PRACTICAL  PLOBICULTUKK. 

CHAPTER    XL. 

WHAT  FLOWERS  WILL  GROW  IN  THE  SHADE  ? 

The  question  "  What  flowers  will  grow  in  the  shade  ?  " 
is  put  to  me  every  spring  by  scores  of  city  people,  whose 
little  patch  which  they  wish  to  devote  to  flowers  is  so 
walled  up  by  neighboring  houses,  that  the  direct  rays  of 
the  sun  never  touch  it.  But  few  plants  will  develop  their 
flowers  there,  and  none  will  do  it  so  well  as  if  it  were 
lighted  up  by  sunshine  a  part  of  the  day.  Fuchsias,  Pan- 
sies,  Forget-me-nots,  Violets,  Lobelias,  Lily  of  the  Valley, 
Phloxes,  and  other  herbaceous  plants  whose  native  habitat 
is  a  shady  wood,  will  do  best,  but  even  these  languish  if 
denied  all  direct  sunlight.  The  best  effect  in  such  situa- 
tions is  produced  by  ornamental-leaved  plants,  the  beauty 
of  which  is  not  dependent  upon  their  flowers.  Among 
these  may  be  ranked  the  Gold  and  Silver  Variegated- 
leaved  Geraniums,  Achyranthes,  Alternantheras,  Begonias, 
Caladiums,  Centaureas,  Coleuses,  etc.,  which,  if  planted 
so  as  to  bring  the  various  shades  in  contrast,  produce  a 
pleasing  effect,  which  continues  during  the  entire  summer 
months,  and  is  not  surpassed  by  any  display  of  flowers. 

The  cultivator  of  flowers  in  rooms  should  understand 
the  necessity  of  sunlight  to  plants  that  are  to  flower,  and 
endeavor  to  get  these  as  close  as  possible  to  a  window 
having  an  eastern  or  southern  aspect.  The  higher  the 
temperature  the  more  plants  suffer  for  want  of  light. 
Many  plants  might  remain  in  a  temperature  of  40°,  in  a 
cellar  for  example,  away  from  direct  light,  for  months 
without  material  injury,  while  if  the  cellar  contained  a 
furnace  keeping  a  temperature  of  70°, they  would  all  die; 


WHAT    FLOWERS    WILL    GROW    IN    THE    SHADE  ?        243 

such  would  particularly  be  the  case  with  plants  of  a  half- 
hardy  nature,  such  as  monthly  Roses,  Carnations,  Fuch- 
sias, etc. 

In  our  green-house  culture  of  flowers,  direct  sunlight  is 
an  all  important  consideration;  and  a  spell  of  sunless 
weather  in  midwinter  is  often  a  loss  to  us  of  hundreds  of 
dollars  by  preventing  the  development  of  flowers.  Hence, 
we  use  every  means  at  command  to  dispose  the  plants  to 
secure  the  greatest  amount  of  light. 

The  debilitating  effects  of  want  of  direct  light  on 
plants  are  well  illustrated  by  taking  a  vigorous  plant  in 
full  foliage  and  flower,  that  has  been  growing  in  the  direct 
light  of  our  green-house  benches,  and  placing  it  under  the 
bench.  If  the  temperature  is  high — say  70°  in  48  hours, 
the  sickly  signs,  showing  want  of  light,  will  be  apparent 
to  an  experienced  eye ;  in  a  week  its  condition  would  be 
such  as  to  indicate  sickness  to  the  most  common  observer, 
and  in  a  month  it  would  most  likely  be  dead. 

In  this  respect  there  is  some  analogy  between  plant  and 
animal  life,  and  it  teaches  us  the  importance  of  light  for 
our  own  healthy  development.  Certain  it  is  that  our 
green-house  and  garden  operatives  will  compare  favorably 
with  any  other  class  of  workmen,  as  far  as  health  is  con- 
cerned. In  the  past  twenty  years  I  have  had  an  average 
of  thirty  workmen  daily.  During  that  time  but  one  has 
died,  and  two  only  have  been  seriously  sick,  and  some 
three  or  four  veterans  who  are  growing  gray  in  the  ser- 
vice, have  never  lost  an  hour  by  sickness.  I  doubt  if  it 
would  be  easy  to  find  the  same  number  of  workmen  em- 
ployed out  of  the  sunlight,  who  could  show  such  health 
as  these  sunbrowned  boys  of  ours. 


244 


PRACTICAL    FLORICTTLTURK. 


CHAPTER    XLI. 

GREEN-HOUSE  AND  STOVE,  OR  HOT-HOUSE,  PLANTS. 


SELECT  LIST   OP   GREEN-HOUSE   PLANTS. 

The  following  list  includes  plants  which  should  be  kept  at 
a  night  temperature  ranging  from  40  to  50  degrees.     For 
a  more  extended  list,  see  special  green-house  catalogues. 
Abelia  floribnnda. 

"      rnpestris. 
Abutilon  Santana. 

"         insigne. 

"         Mesopotamicum. 
Achyranthes  Verechaffeltii. 

"  Gilsonii. 

Acacia  angustifolia. 

"      armata. 

"      pubescena. 
Achimenes  Boothii  violacea. 
'         cocci  nea  superba. 
'          elegans. 
1         grandiflora. 
'          pedunculata. 
'         WagneriL 
Agapantbus  umbullatus. 
Agave  Americana. 

"  "         variegata. 

Antirrhinum  (Hybrids  in  var.) 
Alonsba  elegans. 
Aloysia  citriodora. 
Ardisia  crenulata. 

"  «       alba. 

"       Berralata. 
Artemisia  argentea. 
Azalea  Indica. 
^sclepias  curassavica. 


Beaufortia  decussata. 
Babiana,  of  sorts. 
Bignonia  jasminoides. 

"       rosea. 
"       alba. 


Bouvardia  compacta. 
"         Laura. 
"         leiantha. 
"  "       splendens. 

"  '«       floribunda. 

"  "       grandiflora. 

"         longiflora  alba. 
"        rosea. 
"         Hogarth. 
"         triphylla. 
Brngmansia  EnigbtiL 
Burchellia  capensis. 
"         speciosa. 
Cereus  flajjelliformis. 
"      grandiflorus. 
"      Smithii. 
CaUa  (Richardia)  ^Ethiopica. 


Camellia  Japonica  (and  Hybridi). 
Canna  discolor. 
"      Indica. 
"      Van  Houttii. 
Centaurea  candidissima. 

"       compacta. 
Cestrum  aurantiacnm. 
"        laurifolium. 
Cborozema  cordata  elegans. 

"         varia. 
Cineraria  maritima. 

41        amelloides  and  Hybrids. 
Convolvulus  Mauritanicus. 
Clerodendron  Japonicum. 
Clethra  arborea. 


GREEN-HOTTSE    AND    STOVE    PLANTS. 


245 


Clivia  nobilis. 
Correa  alba. 

"        "    delicata. 
"       speciosa. 
Coronilla  glauca 

"       variegata. 
Crowea  saligna. 
Rochea  falcata. 
Cjclainen  Atkinsii. 
"         Persicum. 

"       album. 
"       rubram. 
Daphne  Indica. 
"       odora  rubra. 
"  "       variegata. 

Diosraa  alba. 
Diplacus  puniceus. 
Dionaea  muscipula. 
Epacris  Alteanii. 
"       coccinea. 
"       Cunninghamii. 
"       delicatissima. 
"       densiflora. 
"       grandiflora. 
"  "  rubra. 

"       impressa. 
*'  "       carnea. 

Epiphyllum  elegans. 

"  formosissimum. 

"  speciosum. 

"  truncatum. 

"  "       Atkinsii. 

"  "       violaceum. 

Erica  laevis. 
"    ventricosa. 
"    Willmorei. 
"    gracilis. 
"    persoluta. 
•«  "       alba. 

Erythrina  Crista-galli. 

"         herbacea. 
Eugenia  myrtifolia. 
Eucharis  Amazon  ica. 
Eupatorium  elegans. 

"          fruticosum. 
Fabiana  imbricata. 
Ferraria  actherosa. 


Fuschias  (Hybrids  in  variety). 
Gardenia  florida. 

"        radicans. 
Gardoquia  Hookerii. 
Geranium  (Hybrids  in  variety). 
Gazania  splendens  (and  Hybrids). 
Heliotropium    corymbosum   (ami 

Hybrids  in  variety). 
Hydrangea  Hortensia. 
"          Japonica. 

"       var. 
"         deutzifolia. 
Indigofera  decora. 
Inga  pulcherrima. 
Jasminum  grandiflorum. 

"         Sambac. 
Justicia  carnea. 
Kennedya  ovata. 

alba. 

"          Marryattae. 
Lachenalia  quadricolor. 
"         superba. 
"        tricolor. 

Lantana  Adolphe  Haas  (Hybrids). 
"      aurantiaca  superba. 
"      ne  plus  ultra. 
"      lutea  carminata. 
"      Md.  Reudatler. 
"      rubra  lutea. 
"      xanthina  superba. 
Lapageria  rosea. 
Lecbenaultia  formosa. 
Libonia  floribuuda. 
Lobelia  Erinus. 

"  "     speciosa. 

Linum  trigynum. 
Lithospermum  fruticosum. 
Lophospermum  scandens. 
Magnolia  fuscata. 
Mahernia  glabrata  odorata. 
Manettia  bicolor. 

"        cordifolia. 
Mandevilla  suaveolens. 
Maurandia  Barclayana. 

«  "  rosea. 

"  "  alba. 

Metrosideros  robusta. 


246 


PBACTICAL   FLOBICULTUBE. 


Mimulus  luteus  vars. 

Salvia  splendens  Gordonl. 

Myrtus  communis. 

Senecio  maritima. 

"           "           double  flowered. 

Solatium  capsicastrum. 

"           "           variegated. 

"                "        fol.  var. 

Neriurn  Oleander. 

"        Pseudo-capsicum. 

Pyrethrum  Parthenium  pleno. 

"             "        fol.  var. 

Passiflora  hybrida. 

Sollya  lieterophylla. 

"       cserulea  racemosa. 

Sparmannia  Africana. 

Pelargonium  (Hybrids  in  variety). 

Stevia  serrata. 

Ruellia  formosa. 

"            "        grandiflora. 

Khynchospermum  jasminoides. 

"      compacta. 

Salvia  fulgens. 

Tremandra  ericifolia. 

"    gesneraeflora. 

Veronica  Andersoni. 

"    Liliana. 

"           variegata. 

"    patens 

"       Lindleyana. 

"         "     alba. 

"        splendida  rubra. 

"    splendens. 

"        imperialis. 

ABRIDGED   LIST   OF   STOVE    OB    HOT-HOUSE    PLANTS. 

This  list  comprises  plants  which  should  be  kept  at  a 
night  temperature  ranging  from  55  to  65  degrees. 

^Echmea  discolor.  Begonia  argyrostigma. 

"       fulgens.  "      coccinea. 

JEschynanthus  grandiflorus.  "      Decaisneana, 

"  speciosus.  "      incarnata. 

zebrinus.  "      fuschoides. 

Alternanthera  amoena.  "        alba. 

spathulata.  "      Sanderson!. 

"  tricolor.  "      marmorata. 

"  versicolor.  "      Miranda. 

Allamanda  cathartica.  "      nebulosa. 

"       Schotii.  "      Nigricans. 

Alocasia  metallica.  "      Rex. 

"        argyroneunu  "      splendida. 

'  "        Bataviensis.  Bertolonia  muculata. 
"        Lowii.  "         guttata. 

"        Javanicum.  Billbergia  rosca. 

Anthurium  grande.  Bignonia  venusta. 

"         regale.  Bonapartea  juncea. 

Aplielandra  aurantiaca.  Bouganvillea  spectabilis. 

"          grandis.  Brexia  cbrysopbylla. 

Aralia  leptophylla.  Caladium  amabile. 
Ardisia  crenulata.  "         argyrites. 

u  "       alba.  "        Belleymei. 


GBEEN-HOUSE    AND    STOVE    PLANTS. 


247 


Caladium  bicolor. 
"         Brongniarti. 
"         Chantini. 
"        esculentum. 
"         marmoratum. 
"        pictum. 
"        regale. 
"        Verschaffeltii. 
•          Wightii. 
Ceatradenia  rosea. 

"  "     floribunda, 

"     grandifolia. 
Cissus  discolor. 
"      argentea. 
Clerodendron  Balfouri. 

"  splendens. 

Coleus  VerschafleltiL 
"     Vietchii. 
"     atropurpureus. 
"     BlumeL 
"         "       laciniata. 
"     marmorata. 
Combretum  purpureum. 
Oroton  discolor. 

"      elegantissimum. 
"      pictum. 
"      variegatum. 
Dieffenbachia  Barquiniana. 
Dracaena  Cooperi. 
"       Draco. 
"       ferrea. 
"       maculata. 
"       spectabilis. 
"       terminalis. 
Dichorisandra  mosaica. 
Dipladenia  nutans. 
"  picta. 

"  urophylla. 

Eucharis  Amazonica. 
Echites  amabilis. 

"       rubrovenosa. 
Eranthemum  leuconeurum. 
"  rubroveninm 

Euphorbia  jacquiniflora. 

"          splendens. 
Gesneria  bulbosa. 
"        amabilis. 


Gesneria  excelsa. 
HerbertL 

"       bybrida. 

"       oblongata. 

"       spendens. 

"        zebrina. 
Gloriosa  Plantii. 
Gloxinia  (Hybrids  in  yar.) 
Goldfussia  anisophylla, 
Goodyera  discolor. 
Hoya  carnosa. 
"         '•       fol.  var. 
"     imperialis. 
Ipomaea  Horsfalliae. 
insignis. 

"      Learii. 
Ixora  blanda. 
"     coccinea. 
"     crocata. 
Jnsticia  speciosa. 
Lasiandra  splendens. 
Lapageria  rosa. 

"          "       alba. 
Maranta  fasciata. 

"       sanguinea. 

"       WarscewicziL 

"       zebrina. 
Medinilla  magniflca. 
Monochaetum  volubile. 
Nepenthes  distillatoria. 

"  Raffles  iana. 

Passiflora  alata. 

"         Baraquiniana. 

"         kermesina. 

"        racemosa  princept 
Philodendron  Lindenianum. 
Plumbago  rosea. 
Poinsettia  pulcherrima. 
Pothos  argyraea. 
Rogiera  amoena. 

"      thyrsiflora. 

"      gratissima. 
Rondeletia  anomale. 

"  speciosa. 

Rhyncospennum  jasminoidet. 
Ruellia  formosa. 
Russelia  floribunda. 


248 


PRACTICAL    FLOKICULTTJRE. 


Russelia  juncea. 
Sanchezia  nobilis  variegata. 
Solandra  grandiflora. 
Sonerilla  margaritacea. 
Sphserostema  marmorata. 
Stephanotis  floribunda. 
Tacsonia  sanguinea. 

"        pinnatistipula. 
Tielanthera  ficoidea  tricolor. 


Tillandsia  tennifolia. 
Torenia  Asiatica. 
Tradescentia  discolor. 
"  zebrina, 

Tydaea  grandis. 
"     venosa. 
Tapina  variegata. 
Urceolina  aurea. 


CHAPTER    XLH. 


ANNUALS,    HARDY    HERBACEOUS,    PERENNIAL    AND   BIEN- 
NIAL  PLANTS,    ORNAMENTAL   SHRUBS   AND   CLIMBERS. 

ANNUALS   AND    BIENNIALS. 

Subjoined  is  an  abridged  list  of  leading  annuals  and 
biennials,  suited  for  summer  decoration  of  the  flower  gar- 
den and  for  green-house  culture.  For  description,  see  de- 
scriptive seed  lists. 

Alyssum,  Sweet  (Koniga  maritima). 
Amarantus  sanguineus. 

"         tricolor. 
Anagallis  grandiflora. 
Aster,  German. 
Balsam,  Camellia  flowered, 

"       Rose. 
Calceolaria  hybrida. 

"  "       nana. 

Calliopsis  marmorata, 
"      DrummondiL 
"       Atkinson  ii. 
"       mosseux. 
Campanula  Speculum. 
"       LoriL 
"       media. 


Cineraria  hybrida. 
Clarkia  elegans. 

"      pulchella. 

u      integripetala. 


Collinsia  bicolor. 

"        grandiflora. 
Convolvulus  major. 

"          tricolor. 
Datura  humilis,  fl.  pi. 

"      Carthageniensis. 

"      meteloides  (Wrightii). 
Dianthus  Chinensis. 
"       Heddewigii. 
"        laciniatus. 
Digitalis  purpurea,  superba. 
Dolichos  Lablab. 
Downingia  (Clintonia)  pulchella, 
Erysimum  Peroffskianum. 
Eschscholtzia  crocea. 
Gaillardia  grandiflora  hybrida. 

"        coccinea  nana. 
Gilia  tricolor. 
Gomphrena  globosa. 
Helichrysum  bracteatum. 


AHNUALS,    HARDY    HERBACEOUS    PLANTS,    ETC. 


249 


Lnpinus  hybridus  atrococcinens. 

SalpigloBsis  coccinens. 

"       tricolor  elegans. 

Sapouaria  Calabrica. 

Lychnis  Hnageana. 

Scabiosa  atropurpurea. 

Mirabilis  Jalapa. 

"               "           tandidissima 

Mimulus  maculosus. 

Schizanthus  GrahamiL 

"        cardinalis. 

Tagetes  patula  erecta. 

Mathiola  annua,  hybrida. 

"      signata  pumila. 

Mimosa  pudica. 

Thunbergia  alata. 

Nemophila  insignis. 

"           anrantiaca. 

"       maculata. 

Tropseolum  peregrinum. 

Nigella  Damascena. 

"          coccineum. 

"     Hispanica. 

Vicia  Gerardi. 

Phlox  Drummondii. 

Viola  tricolor  hybrida. 

Portulaca  grandiflora. 

Whitlavia  grandiflori. 

Reseda  odorata. 

Xerantheraum  annnum. 

Rodanthe  Manglesii. 

Zinnia  elegans. 

Ricinus  communis,  minor. 

HARDY   HERBACEOUS  PLANTS. 

The  interest  in  hardy  herbaceous  plants  is  rapidly 

in 

creasing.     Space  will  permit  a  list  of  only  a  few  of 

thfc 

most  showy  and  interesting  kinds. 

Achillea  tomentosa. 

Astilbe  Japonica. 

"          Ptarmica-pleno. 

"           "        variegata. 

Aconitum  Napellus. 

Baptisia  anstralis. 

Adonis  vernalis. 

Bulbocodiam  vernum. 

Alyssum  saxatile. 

Campanula  alpina. 

"            "       fol.  variegatis. 

"           Carpatica. 

Auchusa  Italica. 

"          garganica. 

Anemone  Japonica. 

"        alba. 

hybrida. 

H           grandiflora. 

vitifolia. 

«           latifolia. 

"       alba. 

"           nitida  alba. 

Aqu  egia  alpina. 

"           perslcsefolia. 

Canadensis. 

"           versicolor. 

Durandii,  flore-pleno. 

Catananche  coerulea. 

glandulosa. 

Centanrea  dealbata. 

"        Skinneri. 

Ceairanthus  ruber. 

Arabis  albida. 

Cerastium  tomentosnm. 

"        "       fol.  variegatis. 

Chelone  glabra. 

Arnndo  Donax. 

"       integrifolia. 

"           "       variegata. 

Colchicum  autumnale. 

Asclepias  incarnata. 

"              "            album. 

"       tuberosa 

Comaropsis  fragarioides. 

Asphodelus  luteua 

Convallaria  majalis. 

Aater  discolor. 

Convolvulus  Mauritanlcns. 

250 


PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 


Coreopsis  grandiflora. 

Geranium  Lancastriense. 

Cornus  Canadensis. 

"        pratense. 

Coronilla  montana. 

"           flore-pleno. 

Corydalis  bulbosa. 

Geum  Cbilense  atrosanguineum. 

"        cava  lutea. 

Gnaphalium  margaritaceum. 

"        nobilis. 

"           orien  tails. 

Crucian  ella  stylosa- 

Gynerium  argenteum. 

Cypripcdium  acaule. 

Gypsophila  acutifolia. 

"           spectabile. 

"          repens. 

Daphne  Cneorum. 

Hedysarum  coronarium. 

Dactylis  glomcrata. 

Helleborus  niger. 

Delphinium  BarlowiL 

"        viridis. 

"           Belladonna. 

HemerocalUs  flava. 

"           bicolor  grandiflorum. 

11          graminea. 

"           elatnm  plenum. 

Hepatica  triloba  alba. 

"           fbrmosnm. 

Hesperis  matronalis  alba  plena. 

"           giganteum. 

Hiei-acium  rrarantiacum. 

"          HendersoniL 

Hypericum  nummularium. 

"          pulchellum. 

"           tomentosuro 

Dianthus  deltoides. 

Iberis  saxatile. 

"       VerschaffeltiL 

Iris  alata. 

Dictamnus  Fraxinella. 

"    Attica, 

"               "          alba. 

"    bicolor. 

Dicentra  spectabilis. 

"    cristata. 

"            "           alba. 

"    elegans. 

Dodecatheon  Meadia. 

"    flavescens. 

Epimedium  nlpinum. 

"    fonnosa. 

"         macranthum. 

"    livida. 

Epipactis  latifolia. 

"    odorata. 

Eryngium  amethystinum. 

"    pumila  alba. 

Erythronium  Americanum. 

"    Susiana. 

"           Dens-canis. 

"    versicolor. 

Eupatorium  ageratoides. 

"    Virginica. 

"         purpurenm. 

Lamium  molle. 

Euphorbia  amygdaloides  variegata 

Lathyrus  grandiflorufl. 

Funkia  grandiflora. 

latifolius. 

"      lancifolia. 

"       tuberosus. 

"      Sieboldiana. 

Lepachys  (Rudbeckia)  Columnar!! 

Galium  boreale. 

Leucojum  vernum. 

Geutiana  acaulis. 

Ligularia  arnicoides. 

"       Bavarica. 

Linaria  alpina. 

"       FortuniL 

Linum  alpinnm. 

"       purpurea. 

"     perenne. 

"       rerna. 

Lotus  corniculatus. 

Geranmni  amne. 

"              "          flore-pleno. 

u        argenteum. 

Lupinus  polyphyllus. 

"        Lataberti. 

Lychnis  Chaledonica. 

ANNUALS,    HARDY    HERBACEOUS    PLANTS,    ETC.          251 


Lychnis  Chaledonica  alba  plena. 

Saxifraga  afflnis. 

"       coccinea  plena. 

"       aizoides. 

"       dioica  alba  plena. 

"       crustata. 

"        Flos-cuculi  rnbra  plena. 

"        geranioides. 

"        Viscaria  alba. 

Scrophularia  mellifera,  fol.  rti 

"            "       rubra  plena. 

Scutellaria  galericulata. 

Lysimachia  nummularia. 

Sedum  acre. 

Lythrum  alatum. 

"      glaucum. 

Melissa  offlcinalis  variegata. 

"      grandiflorum. 

u       rotundifolia,  fol.  var. 

"      micranthum. 

Mentha  sylvestris,  fol.  var. 

"      rupestre. 

Muscari  botryoides. 

"      Sieboldii. 

Myosotis  alpestris. 

Soldanella  alpina. 

(Enotbera  acaulis. 

"         montana. 

Ornitbogalum  aureum. 

Solidago  altissima. 

pyramidale. 

"       Canadensis. 

Orobus  angustifolius. 

"        odora. 

"      luteus. 

Spiraea  digitata. 

"      vernus. 

"     filipendula  plena. 

Paeonia  herbacea  and  Hybrids. 

"     Japonica. 

Papaver  alpinum. 

"     trifoliata. 

"       bracteatum. 

"     Ulmaria,  fol.  var. 

"       orientale  concolor. 

Symphytum  orientale. 

Phlox  decussata,  suffruticosa,  and 

Thalictrum  alpinum. 

Hybrids. 

"         anemonoides. 

"      Bubulata  nivalis. 

"         glaucescens. 

"         procumbens. 

"         lucidum. 

"         setaceus. 

Thymus  offlcinalis,  foL  var. 

"      vernus. 

Tournefortia  heliotropoidea. 

Polemonium  reptans. 

Tradescantia  Virginica  alba. 

Potentilla  alba. 

Tricyrtis  hirta. 

"         argentea. 

Trillium  atropurpureum. 

"         bicolor  grandiflora. 

"         grandiflorum. 

"         grandiflora  coccinea. 

Trollius  Americanus. 

Palmonaria  Virginica. 

"       Asiaticus. 

"         saccharata. 

"       orientalis. 

"         Siberica. 

"        Tauricus. 

Pyrethrum  uliginosum  and 

Uvularia  amplexicaulis. 

Hybrids 

"       grandiflora. 

Pyrola  rotundifolia. 

Valeriana  montana. 

Rudbeckia  DrummondiL 

Veratrum  album. 

"           laciniata. 

"         nijjrum. 

Sagittaria  sagittifolia. 

Veronica  ainethystina. 

Balvia  argentea. 

"        canescens. 

"      ncmorosa 

"       elegans. 

Banguinaria  Cauadensls. 

"       saxatile. 

252 


PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 


HAEDY     ORNAMENTAL    SHRUBS. 


Amygdalus  nana. 

Kalmia  latifolia. 

"             "     alba. 

Keniu  Japonica. 

Azalea  nudiflora. 

"       fol.  var. 

Berbcris  Canadensis. 

Lonicera  Tartarica. 

"       Nepalensia. 

"       alba. 

"       purpurea. 

Berberis  Aquifoliium. 

Bubus  Japonicus  alba. 

Magnolia  conspicua. 

Calycanthus  floridus. 

"        purpurea. 

"           prsecox. 

"       Soulangeana. 

Chionanthus  Virginicus. 

Philadelphus  coronariofl. 

Cytisus  elongatus. 

"           nanus. 

"      capitatus. 

Pyrus  Japonica. 

Cotoneaster  microphylla. 

"           "       alba. 

Crataegus  pyracantha. 

.Rhododendron   Catawbiense,   and 

Daphne  Cneornm. 

Hybrids. 

"      Mezereum. 

Ribes  sanguinea. 

Deutzia  crenata  plena. 

"     aurea. 

"      gracilis. 

Syringa  vulgaris. 

"          "       fol.  var. 

"           "       alba. 

*'      scabra. 

"          "       purpurea  plono. 

Euonymus  Americanus. 

"       Persica. 

"        Europseus. 

"           "       alba. 

Forsytbia  viridissima. 

Spiraea  prunifolia,  fl.  pleno. 

Halesia  tetraptera. 

"      callosa. 

Hibiscus  Syriacus  (Althaea  frutex), 

alba. 

vars. 

"     Douglasii. 

Hypericum  Calycinum. 

"     Reevesii,  fl.  pleno. 

"           Kalmianum. 

Viburnum  Opulus. 

Hydrangea  deutzisefolia. 

"              "       plicatum 

"        Hortensia. 

Weigela  rosea. 

"              "         fol.  var. 

"           "      fol.  var. 

"        Japonica. 

"           "      alba. 

Jasminum  offlcinale  (reqnires  pro- 

"      amabilis. 

tection   in    winter   in 

"       floribunda. 

Northern  States). 

"        hortcnsis. 

HARDY    CLIMBING   SIIRUBS. 

AJcebia  qninata. 

Bignonia  radicans. 

Ampelopsis  bipinnata. 

Clematis  Flammula. 

"       hederacea. 

'        viticella. 

"       tricolor. 

"             "       rubra. 

Aristolochia  Sipho. 

"             "        alba. 

"           tomentosa. 

[Tender.  Protect  in  Winter 

Bignonia  atrosangninea. 

"       azurea  grandiflora. 

"        grandiflora. 

"           "      Sophia. 

GRAPE    VINES    UNDER    GLASS.  253 


Clematis  lanuginosa. 

"        Jackmanii. 
Hedcra  Canariensis. 

"     helix. 

"     fol.  variegata. 

"     Rcegneriana. 

"     Taarica. 
Lonicera  aurea. 

"       Belgica. 


bracypoda  aurea  reticu- 
lata. 


Lonicera  Halliana. 

"       Periclymena. 

"       Japonica. 

"       senipemrenfl. 
Periploca  Grseca. 
Wistaria  frutescens. 


Sinensis. 


alba, 
alba. 


magnifica. 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 

CULTUEE    OF    GBAPE   VINES   UNDER   GLASS. 

It  is  many  years  since  I  have  had  personal  experience  in 
the  growing  of  grapes  under  glass,  and  this  was  so  lim- 
ited that  I  feel  incompetent  to  do  justice  to  the  subject, 
even  in  the  short  treatise  that  my  restricted  space  here 
will  permit.  For  this  reason  I  have  called  in  the  assist- 
ance of  my  life-long  friend,  Mr.  Hugh  Wilson,  of  Salem, 
Mass.,  whose  knowledge  of  the  subject  is,  perhaps,  equal 
to  that  of  any  one  in  this  country ;  but,  unfortunately,  the 
limited  space  at  my  command  gives  Mr.  Wilson  but  a  mea- 
gre chance  for  giving  us  the  full  benefit  of  his  experience. 

THE   LOCATION   OF   THE   VINERY. 

As  with  all  glass  structures,  the  vinery  should,  when- 
ever practicable,  be  in  a  situation  sheltered  from  the  north 
and  west,  and  if  the  ground  is  gently  sloping  towards  the 
south-east  so  much  the  better. 

THE      BORDER 

or  soil  in  which  the  vines  are  to  be  planted  is  an  all  im- 
portant matter.   It  is  rarely  that  the  natural  soil  is  of  such 


264  PEACTICAL   FLOBICTJLTTTRE. 

a  character  as  would  serve  the  purpose,  and  hence  in  nearly 
every  case  it  is  necessary  to  prepare  the  materials  for  the 
"  border."  The  usual  rule  laid  down  is  to  take  of  the  top 
spit  (or  spade's  depth),  from  an  old  pasture,  as  the  main 
material  of  the  border — say  three  parts ;  lime  rubbish, 
charcoal,  scrapings  from  a  paved  street,  or  oyster  shells 
broken  up  one  part ;  rotted  stable  manure  one  part,  with 
perhaps  one  ton  of  crushed  bones  added  to  every  twenty 
tons  of  this  border  compost.  Something  depends  upon 
the  soil  of  the  pasture  from  which  the  top  spit  is  taken ; 
if  it  is  a  heavy  adhesive  loam  more  in  proportion  of  the 
lime  rubbish  or  street  scrapings  should  be  added,  as  it  is 
all  important  that  when  the  organic  substances  of  the 
manure  or  fibre  of  the  sod  are  rotted  away,  that  the 
material  forming  the  border  should  not  become  sodden  or 
solid,  so  that  it  would  be  retentive  of  water  and  im- 
pervious to  air.  For  this  reason,  when  choice  can  be 
made,  the  pasture  from  which  this  turfy  top  spit  is  taken 
should  be  of  a  shaly  or  calcareous  character.  If  the  whole 
material  for  the  border  can  be  prepared  a  year  before 
using  so  much  the  better ;  let  it  be  repeatedly  turned  so 
as  to  mix  the  different  ingredients  thoroughly.  This  is 
not  indispensable,  however,  as  we  have  often  used  them 
fresh  with  nearly  as  good  results. 

THE  EXCAVATIOK  FOE  THE  BOBDEE 

should  be  made  from  20  to  24  inches  deep,  and  of  the 
width  of  the  grapery  itself;  and  if  the  house  is  a  "  lean- 
to,"  15  or  20  feet  outside.  For  a  span  roof  make  it  the 
same  distance  on  each  side  outside.  Above  everything  it  is 
indispensable  that  this  excavation  be  thoroughly  drained 
— it  should  be  formed  so  that  the  bottom  slopes  about  1 
foot  in  20  to  the  outside  of  the  border,  and  there  a  drain 
should  be  placed  of  sufficient  capacity  as  to  quickly  carry 
off  all  surplus  from  the  rains  that  may  fall  on  the  border. 
Perhaps  the  safest  and  simplest  plan  to  prevent  the  roots 


GRAPE    VINES    UNDER    GLASS.  255 

getting  through  into  the  cold  subsoil  is  to  cement  the  bot- 
tom of  this  excavation.  One  inch  in  thickness  of  cement 
is  enough.  When  this  is  done  the  border  material  may  be 
thrown  in,  filling  it  up  five  or  six  inches  higher  than  the 
general  level  to  allow  for  settling.  Be  careful  never  to 
handle  the  materials  for  the  border  in  wet  weather. 

OF   THE    CONSTRUCTION    OF   THE   VINEEY 

little  may  be  here  said,  as  there  are  now  architects  in 
every  large  city,  fully  competent  to  give  plans.  I  will 
simply  say  that  for  early  forcing,  or  perhaps  in  all 
graperies  where  artificial  heat  is  used,  the  lean-to  or  one- 
sided structure  is  preferable ;  while  for  cold  graperies,  or 
those  not  heated  artificially,  the  curvilinear  or  span- 
roofed  is  the  best.  The  "  lean-to  "  may  be  18  or  20  feet 
wide,  and  of  any  desired  length,  giving  a  length  of  rafter 
from  20  to  24  feet.  When  the  curvilinear  span  for  cold 
vineries  is  used,  the  base  width  may  be  25  feet,  which  will 
give  about  15  feet  of  rafter  on  each  side.  A  house  built 
after  the  design  given  for  a  rose-house  on  pages  135  and 
136,  will  answer  admirably  for  a  cold  grapery. 

PLANTING  THE   VINE. 

Amateurs  planting  graperies,  commonly  desire  to  pro- 
cure vines  that  are  two  or  three  years  old,  but  such  as  have 
had  much  experience  with  stocking  new  graperies  know 
that  a  one-year-old  vine  that  is  well  ripened,  better 
answers  the  purpose  than  those  of  greater  age  ;  in  fact  it 
is  a  question  whether  a  vine  started  from  an  eye  hi  Feb- 
ruary or  March,  and  planted  in  June,  will  not  by  Sep- 
tember make  as  fine  a  cane  as  one  of  any  greater  age. 
As  such  vines  are  not  very  easily  transportable  or  even 
procurable  at  all  by  beginners,  the  best  thing  they  can  do 
is  to  procure  well-grown  one-year-old  vines  and  plant 


356  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

them  in  spring,  but  not  too  early— say  May  in  this  latitude, 
or  just  when  their  buds  are  beginning  to  start  if  kept,  as 
they  should  have  been,  in  a  cool  place.  It  is  best  to  shake 
the  soil  from  the  ball  of  the  young  vines  that  have  been 
grown  in  pots,  although  the  disentanglement  or  spreading 
of  the  roots,  to  which  so  much  importance  is  by  some  at- 
tached, is  of  no  consequence.  In  planting  it  has  ever 
been  my  practice  to  set  the  roots  outside,  drawing  the 
tops  through  the  apertures  formed  in  the  wall,  a  little 
higher  than  the  border  inside  the  house  (if  there  is  one). 
The  distance  apart  at  which  the  vines  should  be  planted 
is  3  feet.  Strong  galvanized  wire  should  be  run  horizon- 
tally 15  inches  apart  across  the  rafters,  and  15  inches  from 
the  glass  on  which  to  train  the  vines. 

I  may  here  state  to  such  as  may  object  to  outside 
planting  for  hot  house  or  forcing  graperies,  that  I  have 
grown  vines  so  planted  for  twenty  years  in  succession,  and 
never  failed  to  have  a  satisfactory  crop. 

Firing  was  begun  each  year  about  the  first  of  February. 
Of  course  the  border  was  covered  up  sufficiently  with 
leaves  or  litter  to  prevent  its  being  frozen.  But  for 
earlier  forcing,  say  that  beginning  in  December  or  Janu- 
ary, it  is  necessary  to  heat  such  a  border  by  the  use  of  hot 
manure  or  leaves,  which  must  be  in  sufficient  depth  to  fer- 
ment ;  and  it  must  be  covered  with  boards  in  winter  so  as 
to  throw  off  rain.  The  treatment  of 


VINES   THE    FIRST   SEASON 

is  very  simple,  presuming  they  have  been  planted  in 
May  and  were  cut  back  to  two  or  three  buds  inside  the 
front  wall.  Select  the  strongest  growth  from  one  of  these 
buds,  tying  it  to  the  wires  as  it  grows,  and  pinching  off  to 
one  leaf  the  laterals  or  side  shoots  which  it  will  throw  out 
above  the  first  joint,  until  it  reaches  the  top  of  the  house, 
after  which  let  it  revel  at  will. 


GRAPE    VINES    UNDER    GLASS.  257 

THE    SECOND    SEASON 

after  planting,  this  single  shoot  or  cane  should  be  cut 
down  to  the  foot  of  the  rafter,  from  which  a  shoot  will  be 
allowed  to  grow  as  on  the  previous  season.  Vines  are  not 
allowed  to  fruit  in  their  first  year's  growth.  When  the 
vines,  however,  are  strong  and  well  ripened,  instead  of 
cutting  them  down  as  above  stated,  I  have  adopted  the 
following  plan  of  fruiting  the  shoot,  with  good  success : 

On  well-grown  vines  the  shoot  or  cane  will  be  well 
ripened,  7  or  8  feet  from  bottom  of  the  rafter ;  this  shoot 
is  "layered"  by  being  twisted  once  round  (in  order  to 
check  the  flow  of  sap),  in  a  12-inch  pot,  which  is  filled  up 
with  vine  border  compost ;  roots  will  be  emitted  from  this 
"layer"  sufiicient  to  sustain  and  mature  the  fruit,  and 
as  good  a  shoot  will  grow  from  below  the  layer  as  if  it 
had  been  cut  down,  as  is  usually  done ;  and  if  the  young 
cane  has  been  well  matured  the  previous  season,  a  good 
crop  will  be  secured  with  no  injury  to  the  part  of  the 
vine  relied  on  for  permanent  use.  The  layer  after  fruit- 
ing may  be  thrown  away  or  cut  off  and  used  as  a  plant. 

THE    THIRD    SEASON. 

At  the  pruning  of  the  ripe  wood,  instead  of  cutting  the 
vine  down  to  a  third  of  its  length,  or  five  feet  on  a  fifteen 
foot  rafter,  I  think  it  preferable  to  leave  two-thirds,  and 
if  the  vine  is  strong  and  well  matured  it  will  break  freely, 
but  allow  it  to  bear  only  a  light  crop.  By  doing  this,  I 
have  found  the  strength  of  the  vine  better  equalized,  as 
a  strong  vine  when  shortened  to  five  feet  is  apt  to  make  a 
stronger  growth  on  the  following  season,  leaving  the 
lower  part  comparatively  weak. 

THE     FOURTH    SEASON 

a  full  crop  may  be  taken,  which  should  be  about  1 8  or 
20  Ib.  to  each  rafter  of  15  feet  in  length. 


258  PRACTICAL,   FLORICULTURE. 

TRAINING  THE  VINE. 

In  this  short  treatise  I  will  confine  myself  to  the  "  spur 
system,"  which  is  that  easiest  to  comprehend  by  those 
beginning  the  culture  of  the  vine.  It  is  done  in  this  way  : 
presuming  that  the  vine  has  reached  its  "  third  season," 
and  has  been  cut  back  to  say  10  feet  from  the  foot  of  the 
rafter,  the  cane  is  allowed  to  branch  or  spur  at  each 
joint  or  eye,  a  shoot  from  the  upper  part  of  the  cane  is 
allowed  to  run  to  the  top  of  the  house,  which  completes 
the  length  of  the  cane.  The  side  shoots,  or  bearing  wood, 
is  cut  back  or  spurred  to  one  eye.  The  vine  is  now  com- 
plete. The  upper  part  will  bear  its  first  crop  on  its  next 
season's  growth ;  the  bearing  wood  when  next  pruned  will 
be  cut  back  as  before  to  one  eye,  and  so  on  annually  the 
side  branches  or  bearing  wood  to  be  cut  back  to  one  eye, 
the  bunches  of  fruit  being  borne  on  the  spurs  annually. 

IN    FORCING    VINERIES 

the  temperature  to  start  with  should  be  from  50°  to 
55°  at  night,  with  a  day  temperature  of  10°  or  15°  higher, 
increasing  10°  when  the  buds  are  fairly  broken,  which  will 
be  in  about  a  month  from  time  of  starting;  in  six  or 
seven  weeks  more  the  fruit  will  be  set  and  the  tempera- 
ture may  be  raised  10°  more,  and  so  continued.  Next  in 
importance  to  temperature  is 

MOISTURE. 

The  vine  luxuriates  in  what  gardeners  call  a  "  tropical 
atmosphere,"  and  during  the  whole  period  of  its  growth, 
particularly  in  our  arid  climate,  the  grapery  should  be 
copiously  syringed  twice  a  day  with  water  of  the  tem- 
perature of  the  house,  until  the  first  young  leaves  are 
formed.  Besides  this,  evaporating  pans  placed  on  the 
pipes  should  at  all  times  be  kept  full  of  water.  In  cold 


GRAPE    VINES    TJ5TDER    GLASS.  259 

vineries,  where  there  are  no  pipes,  water  should  be  freely 
dashed  all  over  the  floor;  this  necessity  for  moisture 
occurs  during  the  whole  period  of  the  growth  of  the  vine 
until  the  fruit  is  beginning  to  ripen,  except  that  at  the 
time  the  vines  are  in  flower  it  must  be  discontinued,  as  a 
dry  atmosphere  is  best  fitted  for  the  proper  fertilizing 
action  of  the  pollen.  I  have  long  believed  the  cause  of 

RUST    ON   THE    GRAPE 

is  an  excess  of  moisture  at  the  time  of  the  "  setting  "  of 
the  fruit ;  the  "  flower,"  the  crop  of  petals,  instead  of 
dropping  off  will,  in  a  moist  atmosphere,  adhere  to  the 
forming  berry,  and  while  being  forced  off  by  the  growth 
of  the  latter,  it  leaves  its  impression  on  the  tender  skin, 
which  increases  in  size  as  the  berry  grows  and  results  in 
the  well  known  mark  on  the  matured  fruit  called  from  its 
appearance  "  rust." 

THHOONG. 

The  grapes  should  be  thinned  while  the  berries 
are  not  longer  than  peas ;  if  left  until  the  bunches  are 
crowded,  the  process  of  thinning  is  not  only  much 
slower  but  the  berries  are  more  apt  to  be  bruised.  I 
have  long  been  guided  in  thinning  grapes  by  the  fact 
(and  one  I  think  not  generally  noticed)  that  the  flowers 
of  the  grape  are  produced  in  sets  of  three.  In  cases  where 
each  of  the  three  flowers  form  a  berry,  two  may  be  safely 
cut  out  in  thinning ;  but  in  many  instances  two  only  are 
formed,  and  sometimes  only  one,  which  the  operator  must 
take  into  consideration  in  thinning.  With  large  bunches 
it  is  necessary  to  cut  away  entirely  from  the  heart  of  the 
bunch  many  of  these  sets  of  three  alluded  to.  The  large 
bunches  of  some  of  the  varieties  ought  to  be  "shoul- 
dered," that  is,  the  shoulders,  or  loose  and  overhanging  por- 
tions of  the  clusters,  are  to  be  tied  up  from  the  main  body 


260  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

of  the  bunch,  giving  opportunity  for  fuller  development. 
This  is  especially  necessary  in  Hamburgs  and  Muscats. 

SUMMER    PRU>1XG 

should  commence  just  before  the  vines  are  in  flower.  The 
shoot  may  be  shortened  to  one  joint  above  the  bunch  in- 
tended to  be  left.  Strong  vines  will  often  show  two  or 
three  bunches  on  a  shoot,  The  laterals  which  grow  below 
the  bunch  must  be  rubbed  off,  while  that  which  grows  by 
the  bunch  and  above  it  is  to  be  left  and  shortened  to  one 
joint.  When  the  laterals  have  again  made  a  few  leaves 
they  need  to  be  again  shortened  in  the  same  way,  all 
through  the  season  while  the  vine  continues  to  grow. 

MULCHING    THE    BORDER 

is  always  beneficial  if  not  indispensable  to  the  well-being 
of  the  grapery,  not  only  to  protect  the  roots  from  being 
frozen  in  winter,  but  also  because  when  such  fertilizing 
material  as  stable  manure  is  used,  the  roots  are  drawn  to 
the  surface  of  the  border,  which  greatly  conduces  to  the 
health  of  the  vine  and  the  quality  of  the  fruit. 

PROTECTING   THE    VINES    IN    COLD    GRAPERIES 

is  of  great  benefit.  About  the  simplest  way  to  do  so  is 
to  run  a  board  along  18  inches  or  so  from  the  front  wall. 
After  pruning  the  vines  (which  may  be  done  at  any  time 
after  they  drop  their  leaves),  they  are  to  be  taken  down 
from  the  wires  and  laid  down  between  this  boarding  and 
the  front  wall,  and  the  space  entirely  filled  up  with  soil  01 
sand.  It  is  necessary,  though,  to  watch  that  ground  mice 
do  not  get  to  the  vines,  as  they  might  destroy  them  by 
eating  the  bark.  We  have  found  that  vines  so  covered  up 
keep  admirably,  and  that  the  plan  is  less  liable  to  draw 


GRAPE    VINES    UNDER   GLASS.  261 

vermin  than  when  they  are  covered  with  straw  or  hay. 
They  are  usually  covered  up  about  the  middle  of  Decem- 
ber, and  are  not  uncovered  or  otherwise  disturbed  until 
the  first  of  May,  when  they  are  lifted  up  and  tied  to  the 
wires,  and  started  as  before  described.  In  cases  where 
it  is  not  practicable  to  cover  with  sand  or  soil,  the  vines 
can  be  laid  down  snugly  along  the  front  wall  and  covered 
up  with  mats  or  bagging ;  but  in  either  manner  of  cover- 
ing up  the  grapery  must  be  freely  ventilated  during  the 
warm  part  of  the  day,  unless  in  extremely  cold  weather. 

VARIETIES. 

The  varieties  that  I  consider  to  be  best  suited  for  a  cold 
vinery  of  50  feet  in  length,  requiring  21  permanent  vines, 
would  be :  12  Black  Hamburgs,  2  White  Frontignac,  2 
Forster's  White  Seedling,  2  Purple  Constantia,  2  Muscat 
Hamburg,  1  Royal  Ascot. 

FOR  VINES  FOR  FORCING. — 10  Black  Hamburg,  2  Griz- 
zly Frontignac,  2  Victoria  Hamburg,  2  Golden  Hamburg, 
1  Buckland  Sweetwater,  2  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  2  Can- 
non Hall  Muscat ;  the  last  two  at  hottest  end. 

The  growing  of  grapes  for  sale  has  not  proved  gener- 
ally profitable  here,  at  least  not  so  profitable  as  the  use  of 
glass  in  the  cultivation  of  vegetables  or  flowers,  which 
probably  may  be  accounted  for  from  the  fact  that  many 
gentlemen  erecting  graperies  at  first,  solely  for  their 
family  consumption,  find  that  when  they  get  to  bearing 
full  crops,  there  is  more  than  can  be  used;  and  as 
"  hot-house  grapes  "  are  an  easily  marketable  article,  and 
even  at  lowest  rates  seem  to  give  a  good  deal  of  money 
for  their  weight,  the  surplus  is  thus  thrown  upon  the 
market,  bringing  down  the  price  below  what  is  a  paying 
rate  to  the  regular  grower. 

I  regret  the  necessity  of  being  compelled  to  compress 


ZOZ  PRACTICAL    FLORICULTURE. 

these  notes  into  so  limited  a  space,  being  well  aware  that 
many  of  the  points  alluded  to  should  have  been  more 
fully  treated.  But  I  trust  what  has  been  said  may  be  of 
some  benefit  in  guiding  beginners  who  are  entirely  with- 
out any  knowledge  of  grape  culture  under  glass.  To 
the  experienced  grape-grower  it  contains  few  facts  but 
what  he  already  knows,  and  is,  no  doubt,  wanting  in 
many  that  he  is  familiar  with. 


CHAPTER    X  IV. 

DIARY  OF  OPERATIONS  FOR  THE  TEAR  1867—68. 

The  following  diary  of  operations  and  observations  of 
temperature  was  taken  by  my  general  foreman,  at 
our  green-houses  at  Bergen  City,  N.  J.,  from  September 
9th,  1867,  to  September  9th,  1868.  Although  it  necessari- 
ly contains  many  repetitions  and  matters  of  minor  inter- 
est, it  will  be  found  very  valuable  as  a  guide  to  the  begin- 
ner, as  well  as  for  convenient  reference  to  those  of  mature 
experience.  We,  ourselves,  find  such  a  diary  an  excellent 
monitor,  as  the  importance  of  dates  in  all  horticultural 
operations  cannot  be  over-estimated.  The  record  of  the 
thermometer  is  placed  at  the  end  of  the  notes  for  each 
day,  the  first  figure  giving  the  temperature  in  the  shade 
at  6  A.  M.,  and  the  second  that  at  6  P.M. 

SEPTEMBER,  1867. 

Qth. — Lifted  and  potted  Bouvardias,  preparatory  to 
planting  them  out  again  on  the  benches  for  winter.  It  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  that  Bouvardias  should  be  pot- 
ted early, — not  later  than  the  middle  of  September,  in  this 
section.  If  left  until  cool  weather  sets  in,  they  will  not 


DIARY    OF    OPERATIONS.  263 

root  freely  in  the  pots,  being  plants  that  luxuriate  in  a 
high  temperature.  The  plants  are  kept  shaded  and  water- 
ed carefully,  for  a  week  or  so  after  being  potted,  and  it  is 
better  to  keep  them  outside  until  they  are  placed  perma 
nently  in  the  green-house.  Also,  put  in  cuttings  of 
Variegated  Geraniums  of  various  kinds  this  day.  Topped 
Carnations,  for  the  purpose  of  producing  suitable  cuttings 
in  October ;  it  is  now  too  late  to  cut  back  those  that  are 
wanted  for  winter  flowers.  Collected  seeds  of  Salvia 
patens  and  S.  splendens.  Cleared  off  old  plants  of 
Pansies,  to  allow  the  self-sown  seedlings  light  and  air. 
60°— 62°. 

IQth. — Continued  potting  Bouvardias.  Put  in  cuttings 
of  Zonale  Geraniums ;  also,  a  few  cuttings  of  those  Ver- 
benas of  which  our  stock  is  short.  61° — 64°. 

12th. — Repotted  Double  White  Primulas,  for  winter 
flowering.  Sowed  Cabbage,  Cauliflower,  and  Lettuce  seed 
in  open  ground.  59° — 55°. 

13th. — Repotted  Fuchsias  for  stock.  Layered  Straw- 
berries in  2-inch  pots,  to  make  a  plantation  next  month. 
54°_60°.  '..'.  v  :~ 

14:th. — Began  propagating  general  collection  of  Verbe- 
nas ;  cuttings  in  excellent  order.  Collected  flower  seeds 
of  all  kinds.  58°— 59°. 

16th. — Repotted  Euphorbia,  Poinsettia,  and  other  plants 
for  winter  flowering.  Lifted  and  potted  stock  Geraniums. 
55°— 59°. 

17th. — Began  propagating  a  general  collection  of  bed- 
ding plants,  and  as  the  weather  is  getting  somewhat  hot- 
ter, precaution  is  taken  to  douse  the  walks,  benches,  and 
all  parts  of  the  propagating  houses  with  water,  to  reduce 
the  temperature.  65° — 75°. 

ISth. — Collected  seeds  of  Campanulas,  Lychnis,  Del- 
phiniums, and  other  hardy  herbaceous  plants,  and  sowed 
at  once ;  nearly  all  seeds  of  this  character  germinate 
better  if  sown  when  gathered.  Cut  back  Centaurea  and 


264  PRACTICAL   F1ORICOXTURE. 

Cineraria,  to  produce  young  shoots  to  be  taken  for  cut- 
tings, a  month  or  so  later.  69° — 74°. 

19th.— The  same.    72°— 75°. 

2Qth. — Budded  Roses  and  potted  off  in  2-inch  pots  the 
Verbena  cuttings  that  were  put  in  on  the  10th  and  12th 
inst.  Result  excellent.  No  fire  heat  has  as  yet  been  used 
in  propagating.  68°— 70°. 

22d. — Planted  those  Bouvardias  that  were  potted  on  the 
9th  inst.,  on  the  benches  of  the  green-house.  They  are 
taken  from  the  pots  and  planted  in  6  inches  of  soil,  at  a 
distance  of  from  8  to  12  inches  apart,  or  near  enough  for 
the  plants  to  touch.  The  distance  apart  is  regulated  by 
the  size  of  the  plants.  Began  to  propagate  second  and 
largest  lot  of  Verbenas,  being  rather  safer  at  this  date 
than  the  previous  ones  of  the  10th  and  12th,  on  account 
of  a  general  lower  temperature.  Gathered  Verbenas, 
Salvias,  and  other  flower  seeds,  that  are  in  better  state 
now  than  they  were  two  weeks  ago.  52° — 52°. 

23£— The  same  as  yesterday.     42°— 51°. 

24th. — Put  in  main  crop  of  Verbena  cuttings  from  open 
ground  at  this  date.  Fumigated  green-houses  for  the 
first  time  this  season ;  will  continue  to  do  so  at  least 
twice  every  week  until  the  green-houses  are  again  empty 
of  plants,  the  order  being  that  aphis  or  green  fly  must 
never  be  seen.  43° — 55°. 

25th. — Lifted  Carnations  with  balls  of  earth  from  the 
open  ground,  and  planted  them  in  5  or  6  inches  of  soil  on 
the  benches  of  the  green-houses  for  winter  flowering.  "We 
are  enabled  to  lift  them  in  this  way  from  the  peculiarity  of 
our  soil,  which  is  stiff  and  clayey ;  on  most  soils  this  prac- 
tice would  not  be  practicable ;  if  the  soil  did  not  adhere 
to  the  roots  it  would  be  necessary  to  first  pot  them,  as  in 
the  case  of  Bouvardias.  Put  in  cuttings  of  Variegated 
and  Zonale  Geraniums  for  main  crop.  58° — 60°. 

26th. — Continued  putting  in  Verbena  and  other  cut 


DIARY   OF   OPERATIONS.  JJ65 

tings.  First  (slight)  fire  used  in  propagating  house.  Shaded 
and  watered  freely  Carnations  put  in  yesterday.  40° — 44°. 

27th. — Planted  out  in  the  benches  Eupatoriums,  Stev- 
ias,  &c.,  that  have  been  kept  in  pots  all  summer.  42° — 
50°. 

28th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Coleus,  Salvias,  Centaureas,, 
&c.,  from  outside.  Budded  Roses.  42° — 49°. 

3Qth. — Put  all  tender  plants  in  the  houses,  as  from 
about  this  date  there  is  danger  from  frost.  Lifted  clumps 
of  double  Neapolitan  Violet,  and  planted  them  at  distanc- 
es of  9  or  10  inches  apart,  on  the  benches  of  the  green- 
house, in  the  same  way  as  the  Carnations.  The  same 
precautions  necessary  in  shading  and  watering,  if  the 
weather  is  dry  and  sunny.  42° — 50°. 

OCTOBER,  1867. 

1st. — Lifted  and  potted  Lamarque,  Marshal  Niel,  and 
other  Roses  from  the  open  ground,  that  are  wished  for  ear- 
ly flowering  in  spring ;  it  is  yet  too  soon  by  a  month  foi 
general  potting  of  Roses  for  spring  flowering.  42° — 53°. 

2d. — Potted  off  Petunias,  Zonale  Geraniums,  and  other 
bedding  plants  that  were  put  in  as  cuttings  on  the  17th  ult. 
Planted  out  Stevia  compacta  and  other  varieties  on  bench- 
es of  green-house ;  as  they  are  too  tall,  they  are  planted 
by  laying  them  on  their  side,  which  answers  well.  Lifted 
up  and  planted  Strawberry  runners  closely  together,  so 
that  they  can  be  conveniently  got  at  in  spring  for  early 
orders.  Planted  early,  they  make  root  sufficient  to  stand 
the  winter.  42°— 52°. 

3d.— The  same  as  yesterday.     49°— 56°. 

4th.—  Potted  off  Verbenas  put  in  on  the  22d  ult.;  had 
excellent  success.  47° — 50°. 

5th. — Lifted  from  ground  stock  plants  of  Variegated 
and  Zonale  Geraniums,  and  potted  them.  49° — 54°. 

7th. — Operations  same  as  Saturday.     To-day  shows  tho 


266  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

first  ice,  and  very  tender  plants  outside  are  somewhat  in- 
jured. Dahlias  uninjured.  33° — 48°. 

8th. — Corrected  and  re-labelled  Dahlias,  in  anticipation 
of  their  soon  being  cut  down  by  frost.  Potted  off  Ver- 
benas, and  put  in  cuttings  of  Verbenas,  and  Rose  and 
Zonale  Geraniums.  34° — 46°. 

9th. — The  advancing  season  warns  us  to  house  Lemon 
Verbenas,  Geraniums,  and  other  of  the  more  hardy  plants 
that  have  yet  been  standing  outdoors.  Lemon  Verbenas 
being  deciduous  (shedding  their  leaves),  are  put  under  the 
benches,  as  they  can  there  be  kept  with  safety  until  March, 
when  they  begin  again  to  start;  the  temperature  will 
average  45°  under  the  bench.  46° — 52°. 

IQth.— Put  in  cuttings  of  Verbenas,  etc.     50°— 62°. 

llth. — Lifted  Japan  and  other  Lilies  and  placed  them 
closely  together,  covered  with  4  inches  of  sand,  at  the  north 
side  of  a  wall,  to  retard  them  for  spring  sales  ;  they  are 
lifted  for  this  purpose  only,  as  .nearly  all  Lilies  are  hardy, 
and  will  always  do  better  left  out  undisturbed  all  winter 
where  they  grew ;  though  if  the  situation  is  very  cold  or 
exposed,  a  covering  up  with  a  few  inches  of  sawdust, 
leaves,  or  manure,  will  benefit.  In  planting  out  the  Lily 
bulblets  in  open  ground,  see  Chapter  on  Propagation  of 
Lilies.  48°— 61°. 

12th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Fuchsias,  Heliotropes,  and 
Carnations.  49° — 62°. 

14th. — Lifted  Tuberoses,  and  placed  them  in  empty 
benches  of  green-houses  to  dry.  Tied  down  the  flowering 
shoots  of  Tuberoses  that  are  getting  against  the  glass. 
44°_52°. 

15th. — The  same  as  yesterday. 

16th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Carnations  and  Pinks  of  all 
kinds.  44°— 58°. 

IJth. — Pricked  out  Cabbage,  Cauliflower,  and  Lettuce 
plants,  that  were  sown  on  the  12th  of  September,  in  cold 
frames.  50°— 61°. 


DIAET   OP   OPERATIONS.  367 

ISth. — Pricked  out  in  shallow  boxes  seedlings  of  Del- 
phinium, etc.,  sown  on  the  4th  of  last  month.  50° — 61° 

19th. — Planted  Pansy  seedlings  that  were  sown  on 
the  15th  of  September,  in  cold  frames,  4  to  5  inches 
apart  each  way.  52° — 68°. 

21st. — Continued  planting  Pansies,  and  put  in  Verbena 
cuttings,  taken  from  the  open  ground.  Collected  seeds 
of  Verbenas,  Salvias,  etc.,  etc.  53° — 55°. 

22d. — Potted  off  the  Verbenas  put  in  on  the  8th  inst; 
also,  Coleus,  Centaurea,  Salvias,  etc.,  that  were  put  in  on 
the  28th  of  September,  all  of  which,  except  the  Centaurea, 
have  succeeded  well ;  a  partial  failure  in  these  is  owing 
to  the  cuttings  being  too  hard  when  put  in.  54° — 63°. 

23d. — Lifted,  divided,  and  potted  Callas.     44° — 46°. 

24^. — Repotted  Stock  Giliflowers.  First  severe  frost. 
Dahlias  and  all  tender  plants  cut  down.  24° — 46°. 

25th. — Made  cuttings  of  a  general  variety  of  soft- 
wooded  plants,  of  such  as  have  yet  stood  uninjured  in  the 
open  ground.  36° — 44. 

2&th. — Moved  the  first  potted  lots  of  Verbenas,  to  pre- 
vent them  rooting  through  in  the  sand.  35° — 41°. 

28th. — Potted  off  Fuchsias,  Heliotropes,  etc.,  from  prop- 
agating house.  Lifted  Roses  from  the  open  ground  for 
shipment.  40° — 56°. 

29th. — Potted  Myrsiphyllum  (Smilax)  asparagoides, 
from  seed  boxes,  (sown  on  August  1st)  j  cleaned  up  and 
top-dressed  Double  Primulas.  50°— 50°. 

QQth. — Continued  lifting  Roses  for  shipment.   46° — 54°. 

31s£. — Put  in  Carnations  and  Pink  cuttings ;  we  find 
greater  success  at  this  season  than  earlier,  it  being  very 
important  that  Carnation  cuttings  are  rooted  at  a  low  at- 
mospheric temperature.  41° — 53°. 

NOVEMBER,  1867. 

1st. — Potted  Roses  for  spring  blooming  and  sales,  first 
pruning  off  one-third  of  the  shoots.  This  operation  of 


268  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

pruning  should  always  be  done  before  the  plant  is  potted, 
as  it  takes  less  than  half  the  time,  and  the  plant  being  di- 
vested of  its  superfluous  shoots  is  much  more  quickly  and 
easily  handled  in  potting.  The  plants  after  potting  are 
freely  watered  once,  to  consolidate  the  soil,  and  if  the  sun 
is  bright  and  warm  they  are  shaded  by  latticed  shutters. 
The  plants  are  placed  in  a  cold  green-house  or  cold  frame, 
care  being  taken  to  keep  them  as  cool  as  possible,  and  on 
no  consideration  to  use  fire  heat  unless  to  keep  the  soil  in 
the  pots  from  freezing.  If  possible,  Roses  should  never  be 
kept  at  a  higher  temperature  than  40°  by  fire  heat,  until 
the  young  or  "  working  roots  "  are  formed.  See  Chapter 
on  the  Rose  for  more  comprehensive  details.  41° — 53°. 

2d. — Continued  potting  Roses,  and  put  in  Antirrhinum, 
Pentstemon,  and  other  cuttings  of  half  hardy  plants  from 
the  open  ground.  45° — 53°. 

4th. — Cut  down  and  placed  under  the  benches  the 
Dahlias  that  have  been  grown  during  summer  in  pots. 
47° — 48°. 

5th. — The  Bouvardias,  Carnations,  Stevias,  etc.,  are  now 
blooming  profusely.  33° — 40°. 

6th. — The  cold  weather  warns  us  that  everything  must 
soon  be  secured,  so  to-day  we  take  up,  divide,  and  pot 
for  spring  sales,  herbaceous  plants  of  all  kinds.  31° — 40°. 

7th. — Last  night's  frost  finally  destroyed  the  Dahlias, 
so  we  lifted  them  up  and  secured  them  to-day,  by  drying 
on  the  empty  benches  of  the  green-house.  Those  to  be 
started  for  cuttings  in  March  are  now  placed  at  once  in 
soil  and  kept  there  without  water  until  they  start ;  in  this 
way  every  root  can  be  saved.  30° — 42°. 

8th. — Planted  in  the  open  ground  the  Strawberry  run- 
ners that  were  layered  in  pots,  and  covered  them  close 
up  to  the  neck  of  the  plants  with  rough  manure.  Put  in 
Carnation,  Begonia,  Petunia,  Verbena,  and  other  cuttings, 
for  the  first  time,  from  plants  that  have  been  growing  in 
the  green-house.  41°— 52°. 


DIABT   OF   OPEBATIONS.  269 

9th. — Put  Tuberose  bulbs  that  have  been  dried  on  the 
top  of  the  benches  underneath,  to  make  room  for  plants 
needing  light.  42° — 50°. 

10th. — Overhauled  boilers  and  examined  valves,  prepar- 
atory to  winter  work.  42° — 51°. 

12th. — Again  resumed  the  potting  of  the  general  col- 
lection of  Roses,  which  had  to  be  partially  suspended  for 
more  pressing  work.  First  snow,  2  inches  deep.  34° — 40°. 

13th. — Potted  Verbena  cuttings  and  Roses.     33° — 32°. 

14th. — Lifted  Violets  from  Open  exposure  and  placed 
t,hem  in  a  sheltered  spot  for  planting  out  for  stock  in 
spring.  30° — 45°. 

15th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Variegated  and  other  Geran- 
iums from  plants  that  have  been  under  glass  since  October 
5th.  33°— 34°. 

IQth. — Potted  off  cuttings  of  Geraniums  that  were  put 
in  the  cutting  bench  in  September.  The  cuttings  were 
too  soft,  owing  to  the  season,  when  they  were  put  in,  and 
in  consequence  have  taken  longer  to  root,  yet  have  nearly 
all  taken.  36°— 40°. 

17th. — Lifted  and  potted  stock  plants  of  Chrysanthe- 
mums and  Phloxes.  28°— 25°. 

IQth. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Pelargoniums,  Geraniums, 
Carnations,  etc.  18°— 25°. 

20th. — Lifted  Roses  from  the  open  ground  and  heeled 
them  in  under  cover,  as  we  are  apprehensive  they  may 
yet  freeze  in  the  ground,  and  our  potting  of  Roses  is  two 
weeks  later  than  usual.  37° — 39°. 

21st.— The  same.     33°— 40°. 

22d. — Received  six  cases  of  new  plants  from  London, 
in  fair  order ;  we  find  this  time  of  the  year  and  March  the 
safest  in  which  to  import.  Earlier  in  the  season,  the  tem- 
perature is  too  high,  and  in  the  time  intervening  between 
November  and  March  there  is  danger  from  frost.  32° — 43°. 

23d. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Roses  made  from  ripened 
wood,  and  placed  them  in  a  cold  frame,  so  sheltered  as  not 


270  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

to  be  frozen  in  winter.  But  the  result  from  this  method 
is  far  less  satisfactory  than  in  propagating  Roses  from  cut- 
tings of  the  young  wood ;  here  we  lose  an  average  of  50 
per  cent,  while  from  the  young  shoots,  if  done  at  the  time 
and  in  the  manner  described  in  the  Chapter  on  Propaga- 
tion, not  even  1  per  cent  need  be  lost.  39° — 45°. 

25th. — Removed  the  shading  from  the  glass  over  Chi- 
nese Primroses.  44°— 49°. 

2Qth.— The  same.    50°— 47°. 

27th. — Cleared  the  ground  of  the  remaining  Roses  and 
Shrubs,  preparatory  to  plowing  up  for  winter.  34° — 
43°. 

28th.— The  same  as  yesterday.    43°— 48°. 

29th. — Overhauled  and  arranged  recently  potted  off 
plants.  Tuberose  flowers  are  now  produced  in  quantity 
from  bulbs  that  were  planted  in  benches  in  green-house, 
on  August  1st ;  price  $6  per  100  florets.  42°— 50° 

30th.— The  same.    38°— 24°. 

DECEMBER,    1867. 

2d. — Potted  off  cuttings  of  Carnations  and  Pinks  that 
were  put  in  on  the  llth  of  October;  loss  heavy,  as  they 
have  been  put  in  two  weeks  too  early.  27° — 28°. 

3d. — Potted  off  cuttings  of  Pentstemons,  Antirrhinums, 
etc.,  which  were  put  in  a  month  ago.  Very  successful. 
30°— 35°. 

4th. — Continued  potting  Roses,  and  putting  in  hard- 
wood cuttings  of  Roses.  26°— 30°. 

5th. — Flowers  of  Bouvardias,  Carnations,  Heliotropes, 
Roses,  and  Tuberoses,  are  now  produced  in  large  quanti- 
ties from  the  plantations  previously  made,  as  recorded.  We 
find  that  in  the  planting  out  of  Tuberose  bulbs  on  the  15th 
of  July,  1st  of  August,  and  15th  of  August,  those  planted  on 
the  1st  of  August  give  the  most  profitable  results ;  the  first 
date  being  too  early,  brings  them  in  while  the  market  is 


DIARY   OF   OPERATIONS.  271 

glutted,  while  by  that  of  the  15th  of  August,  the  bulbs 
get  too  much  exhausted  by  being  kept  dry  too  long  out  of 
season.  26° — 28°. 

6th. — Finished  potting  Roses.  The  operation  has  oc- 
cupied in  the  potting  alone  the  time  of  three  hands  for 
about  three  weeks,  the  average  work  of  each  being  700 
plants  per  day. 

7th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Verbenas,  Carnations,  Zonale 
and  Variegated  Geraniums,  Pelargoniums,  and  soft  wooded 
plants  of  all  kinds,  the  condition  of  the  temperature  from 
this  date  to  the  middle  of  March  being  such  that  cut- 
tings of  every  description  are  rooted  with  unerring  cer- 
tainty, if  the  simple  conditions  which  we  lay  down  in 
Chapter  on  Propagation  are  followed. 

9th. — At  this  date,  we  number  20,000  of  our  staple 
plant,  Verbena.  These  we  will  multiply  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen fold,  until  the  first  week  in  May,  which  is  as  late  as 
the  Verbena  can  be  propagated,  to  make  a  plant  of  sufli- 
cient  strength.  30° — 26°. 

10th. — Potted  off  Carnation  cuttings,  which  were  put 
in  on  November  8th,  from  plants  grown  under  glass,  and 
which  have  done  very  welL  Repotted  and  cleaned  up 
Double  White  Primroses.  27°— 28°. 

llth. — Put  in  green  cuttings  of  Bouvardias.  This 
mode  of  propagating  the  Bouvardia  is  not  so  good  as  by 
the  root,  but  it  is  necessary  sometimes  to  do  so  when  we 
wish  to  increase  new  sorts  rapidly.  27° — 28°. 

12th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  a  general  assortment  of 
plants.  20°— 8°. 

13^.— The  same.     4°— 8°. 

14th. — Put  in  Carnation  cuttings  from  plants  that  have 
been  somewhat  exhausted  by  forcing  for  flowers.  14° — 
12°. 

(N~ote. — 10th  January,  1868.  Result  nearly  a  failure, 
owing  to  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  cutting). 

16^.-r-Began  staking  Roses  to-day.    If  stakes  are  pro- 


272  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

vided,  the  average  work  for  each  hand  is  500  plants  per 
day.  Experienced  hands  should  nearly  double  that 
number.  16°— 24°. 

17th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  the  new  Fuchsias,  Chrysan- 
themums, etc.,  from  the  plants  which  were  receive!  from 
England  on  November  22d.  22°— 28°. 

18th. — Repotted  Lantanas,  Variegated  Geraniums,  and 
other  plants,  kept  in  hot-house  range.  23° — 20°. 

19th.— Potted  off  cuttings.     11°— 10°. 
.— The  same.     8°— 26°. 

. — Put  in  root  cuttings  of  Anemone.     (See  Propa- 
gation).   22°— 26°. 

23e?. — Shipped  to-day  large  numbers  of  Verbenas, 
packed  in  close  boxes.  (See  Chapter  on  Packing).  28° — 
26°. 

24th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Coleus,  Lantanas,  Fuchsias, 
Petunias,  etc.,  etc.  27° — 30°. 

25^.— Christmas  Day.     30°— 36°. 

2Qth. — Continued  propagation  of  all  kinds  of  plants. 
42°— 38°. 

27th.— The  same.    44° — 40°. 

28th. — Repotted  Zonale  and  Variegated  Geraniums,  to 
induce  growth  to  produce  growth  for  cuttings.  36° — 42°. 

30th. — Cleared  off  the  roots  of  Tuberoses  that  have 
done  flowering  (those  that  were  planted  in  July  and 
August).  The  last  flowers  sold  at  $8.00  per  100  florets  on 
the  24th  inst.  Could  they  have  been  kept  until  January 
1st,  they  would  have  sold  one-third  higher.  Cut  flowers 
to-day  in  large  quantities,  to  be  made  up  in  baskets  and 
wuquets  for  New  Year's  Day.  26° — 24° 

31st.     The  same. 

JANUARY,   1868. 

2nd. — Put  in  scales  of  Lilium  auratum  and  other  Lilies. 
See  "  Propagation."  Sowed  seeds  of  Lobelia  Paxtotii,  Del- 


DIARY   OF   OPEBATIONS.  273 

phinium,  and  other  plants  suitable  for  bedding  out  for  sum- 
mer. 28°— 32°. 

3rd. — Repotted  stock  plants  of  Pelargoniums,  Fuchsias, 
Lantanas,  Petunias,  etc.,  to  encourage  growth  to  produce 
cuttings.  29°— 34°. 

4*A.— The  same.    24°— 28°. 

Qth.— The  same.     14°— 26°. 

7th. — Repotted  Fuchsias,  Pelargoniums,  Heliotropes, 
Petunias,  etc.,  from  2-inch  to  4-inch  pots,  to  produce  growth 
for  spring  sales.  20° — 30°. 

8th. — Large  quantities  of  Verbenas,  Heliotropes,  Fuch- 
sias, etc.,  are  now  put  in  the  propagating  benches,  this 
being,  perhaps,  the  best  season  to  root  cuttings,  to  give 
fine  plants  in  May.  24°— 32°. 

9^. — Washed  the  soil  from  "pot  bound"  plants  of 
Heliotropes,  Pelargoniums,  and  similar  plants  grown  in 
bench  pots,  and  re-potted  in  fresh  soil  in  pots  of  similar  size. 
For  detail  of  this  method  see  Potting  of  Plants.  28°— 14°. 

Wth— The  same.     4°— 12°. 

llth.— The  same.     14°— 18°. 

13th. — First  lot  of  Chrysanthemum  cuttings  put  in  from 
general  collection.  10° — 12°. 

Uth—  Shifted  La  Pactole  and  Safrano  Roses  that  are 
forcing  to  produce  winter  flowers.  10° — 20°. 

15th.— The  same.     14°— 22°. 

IGth— The  same.     18°— 22°. 

17th. — Pricked  out  in  shallow  boxes,  one  inch  apart,  the 
seedling  plants  sown  on  the  2nd  inst..  12° — 20°. 

18th. — Potted  off  from  propagating  house  struck  cut- 
tings of  Petunias,  Heliotropes,  Variegated  Geraniums,  etc. 
10°— 22°. 

2Qth.— The  same.     20°— 31°. 

21st.—- The  same.     18°— 34°. 

22nd.— The  same.     20°— 14°. 

23rc?. — Potted  Anemone  Japonica  from  root  cuttings 
put  in  on  the  21st  ult.  22°— 18°. 


274  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

24th. — Again  potted  off  Verbenas  in  large  quantities, 
and  filled  up  the  place  occupied  by  them  in  the  bench  with 
cuttings.  19°— 24°. 

25£A.— The  same.     20°— 18°. 

26th. — Weather  is  steady  and  moderate,  which  is  takei 
advantage  of  to  ship  plants  to  all  parts  of  the  country. 
Packing  is  done  securely,  so  that  almost  every  case  is  re- 
ceived in  safety.  See  Chapter  on  Packing.  20°— 22°. 

28^. — All  operations  bub  firing  and  watering  nearly 
suspended,  in  consequence  of  all  hands  being  occupied  in 
getting  up  orders  and  packing.  18° — 24°. 

29£A. — Potted  off  Passiflora  cserulea  from  root  cuttings. 
Potted  off  in  2-inch  pots  Delphiniums  and  Lobelias  that 
had  been  pricked  out  in  shallow  boxes  on  the  17th  inst. 
22°— 28°. 

3Qth. — Continued  to  pot  rooted  cuttings  of  Verbenas, 
Geraniums,  etc.,  filling  up  the  space  by  fresh  cuttings 
as  soon  as  cleared.  16° — 12°. 

31st.— Finished  staking  Roses  to-day.     8°— 16°. 

FEBRUARY,    1868. 

1st. — "  Plunged "  Roses  in  refuse  hops  to  the  rims  of 
the  pots.  We  find  this  a  great  saving  in  watering,  besideg 
keeping  the  roots  in  a  uniform  condition  of  moisture,  con 
ducive  to  healthy  growth.  8° — 16°. 

2nd.— The  same.     8°— 16°. 

3rd.— The  same.     6° — 4°. 

4th. — The  same.    Zero — 6°. 

5th. — Cleared  the  benches  of  Eupatorium  angustifolium, 
which  had  done  flowering,  and  filled  up  with  spring  stock. 
4°— 18°. 

6th.— The  same.    22°— 28°. 

7th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Lantanas,  Fuchsias,  Antirrhi 
nums,  Petunias,  &c.  22° — 28°. 

8th.— The  same.     1°  below  zero— 12°. 


DIABT   OF   OPERATIONS.  275 

.  —  Cleared  off  Bouvardias  that  have  been  forcing 
for  flowers,  cutting  off  the  tops  and  planting  the  roots 
closely  together  in  shallow  boxes,  and  placing  them  under 
the  bench.  Such  roots  make  splendid  plants  for  next  sea- 
son, or  the  roots  may  be  cut  up  for  propagation.  12°  —  8°. 

llth.—  The  same. 

12th.  —  Arranged  plants  on  the  benches  where  the  Bou* 
vardia  and  other  flowering  plants  had  been  growing.  Zero 
—26°. 

ISth.  —  Continued  plunging  Roses,  as  begun  on  the  1st 
inst.,  placing  them,  according  to  the  size  of  the  plant,  at 
such  distances  apart  as  will  allow  the  outside  shoots  to  be 
an  inch  or  so  from  each  other.  A  house  full  of  Roses  in 
the  dormant  state  when  the  pots  are  placed  close  to  each 
other  should  fill,  when  thinned  out,  just  about  double  the 
space,  to  give  them  sufficient  room  to  grow.  20°  —  32°. 

14th.  —  The  same. 

15th.—  The  same. 

17th.  —  Put  in  cuttings  of  Phloxes  and  Chrysanthemums. 


18th.  —  Put  in  cuttings  of  Begonias,  Stevias,  Eupatoriums, 
etc.,  etc.,  to  produce  plants  to  grow  in  summer  for  next 
winter's  flowers. 

19th.  —  Cleared  out  Carnation  plants  that  have  been 
forced  for  flower.  As  such  plants  are  of  but  little  use  after 
they  have  been  thus  forced,  we  find  it  most  profitable  to 
throw  them  away  and  replace  them  by  young  and  fresh 
stuff.  22°—  30°. 

20th.  —  Pricked  out  rooted  cuttings  of  Carnations  1  inch 
apart  in  shallow  boxes,  to  economize  space  ;  we  find  that 
thus  treated  and  planted  out  in  the  open  ground  they  do 
quite  as  well  as  if  they  had  been  potted,  and  nearly  one- 
half  the  space  is  saved.  30°—  34°. 

21st.  —  Put  in  large  quantities  of  the  leading  bedding 
plants,  such  as  Verbenas,  Petunias,  Heliotropes,  Gera- 
niums, etc.,  for  succession  crops.  36°  —  30°. 


276  PKACTICAJO  FLOEICULTUEE. 


.—  -The  same.     26°—  30°. 
.—  The  same.     24°—  16°. 

25th.  —  Put  in  first  Rose  cuttings  from  young  wood,  of 
some  new  sorts  which  are  scarce  with  us.  It  is  too  soon 
for  the  general  crop.  Finished  thinning  out  and  plung- 
ing Roses.  17°—  22°. 

2Qth.  —  Put  in  cuttings  of  Lantana,  Variegated  Gera- 
niums, etc. 

27th.—  The  same.     24°—  30°. 

28^.—  The  same.     28°—  26°. 

29th.  —  First  sowing  of  Tomato,  Pepper,  and  Egg  Plant 
seeds  in  shallow  boxes  for  spring  plants,  in  a  night  temper 
ature  of  65°.  22°—  20°. 

MABCH,  1868. 

2nd.  —  Put  in  first  cuttings  of  Dahlias,  new  Chrysanthe 
mums,  new  Fuchsias,  etc.  12°  —  10°. 

3rd.  —  Pricked  off  seedling  Petunias  in  shallow  boxes  1 
inch  apart  each  way.  Sowed  Verbena  seeds  in  shallow 
boxes  ;  as  they  germinate  slowly,  care  is  taken  to  cover 
with  finely-sifted  leaf  mould  to  the  depth  of  £  of  an  inch, 
and  sprinkle  daily,  so  that  they  never  get  dry.  Tempera- 
ture at  night  60°  to  65°.  Zero  —  4°. 

4th.  —  Began  to  put  in  Rose  cuttings  in  quantity,  care 
being  taken  not  to  let  the  bottom  heat  exceed  65°,  with 
an  atmosphere  of  10  or  15  degrees  lower.  See  Propaga- 
tion for  further  details.  Zero  —  20°. 

5th.  —  The  same. 

Qth.  —  Potted  off  Pelargonium  cuttings  in  fine  order; 
they  will  make  fine,  healthy  plants  by  May.  16°  —  33°. 

7th.  —  We  are  now  shipping  large  quantities.    32°  —  34°. 

9th.  —  Put  in  cuttings  of  all  sorts  in  large  quantities. 
30°_40°. 

IQth.  —  Second  sowing  of  Tomatoes,  Pepper,  and  Egg 
Plant-  seeds  for  succession.  32°—  30°. 


D1ABY   OF   OPBEA1TONS.  277 

llth. — Put  in  Rose  cuttings  in  large  quantities.  36°— 
25°. 

12th — The  same.    30°— 30° 

13th. — Pricked  out  in  shallow  boxes,  1  to  1£  inches  apart, 
the  Tomato  and  Pepper  and  Egg  Plants  sown  on  the  29th 
ult.  Average  work  for  one  hand  is  about  3,000  plants  pei 
day.  36° — 42°. 

14th.— The  same. 

16th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Dahlias,  Fuchsias,  etc.  42'  •- 
44°. 

17th. — Potted  off  the  Rose  cuttings  which  were  pui  ia 
on  the  25th  ult. ;  an  entire  success.  40° — 46°. 

18th. — Placed  young  Carnation  plants  out  in  cold  frames, 
to  harden  them  off,  preparatory  to  planting  them  out  in 
the  open  ground.  38° — 42°. 

19th.— The  same.     30° — 40°. 

20*A.— The  same.     30°— 34°. 

22nd. — Continued  putting  in  Ros*  and  Verbena  cut- 
tings in  large  quantities.  28° — 30°. 

23rd.— The  same.     30° — 42°. 

24th. — Pricked  out  in  shallow  box^s  the  Zinnias  and 
Asters,  which  were  sown  on  the  6th  inst.  30° — 42°. 

25th. — Now  shipping  largely.     30° — 28°. 

26th. — The  second  sowing  of  Tomatoes  and  Egg  Plants 
was  pricked  out  in  boxes.  Continued  putting  in  Rose 
cuttings  in  large  quantities.  30° — 26°. 

27th.— The  same.    40°— 44°. 

28th. — Pricked  out  in  shallow  boxes  the  seedling  plants 
of  Verbenas  that  were  sown  on  the  3d  inst.  32°— 38°. 

30th.— The  same.     30°— 36°. 

31st. — Potted  off  Rose  cuttings  that  were  put  in  on  the 
4th  inst.  32°— 48°. 

APEIL,  1868. 

1st.— The  same.     23° — 48°. 

2nd. — Began  to  plant  in  the  open  ground  Carnations 


278  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

and  Pinks  that  are  to  be  kept  for  our  own  stock.  (Note. — 
May  2nd.  Since  these  have  been  planted,  the  ground  has 
been  frozen  solid  to  the  depth  of  4  inches,  or  below  the  ball 
of  roots,  yet  not  a  single  plant  is  killed,  or  even  injured. 
The  Carnation,  be  it  remembered,  is  almost  a  hardy  plant, 
and  if  not  raised  too  tender,  will  stand  a  great  amount  of 
cold  without  injury.  Our  lesson  from  this,  then,  is  that,  if 
we  have  plants  in  the  necessary  hardy  condition,  they  may 
be  planted  out  just  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  dry  enough 
to  work  with  advantage  in  spring).  32° — 30°. 

3rd. — Potted  off  Verbenas,  and  continued  planting  Car- 
nations outside.  30°— 32°.  (Note.— May  2nd.  Those 
planted  from  the  boxes  show  quite  as  well  as  those  that 
had  been  grown  in  pots.) 

4th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Coleus,  Lantanas,  Bouvardia 
roots,  and  such  cuttings  as  require  the  higher  temperature 
that  the  brighter  sunshine  now  gives.  30° — 48°. 

5th. — Began  potting  off  a  large  quantity  of  Verbenas 
to-day;  potted  even  at  this  date,  they  form  splendid 
plants.  25°— 34°. 

7th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Dahlias  and  Lemon  Verbenas — 
the  latter  for  next  year's  stock. 

Sth. — Continued  making  Rose  cuttings  and  potting  off 
such  as  are  rooted.  45° — 40°. 

Qth.— The  same.     24°— 36°. 

Wth.— The  same.     28°— 34°. 

llth.— The  same.     26°— 32°. 

13^. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Lobelia,  Pyrethrum,  and  simi- 
lar plants,  for  baskets  and  vases.  25° — 30°. 

Uth.— The  same.     40° — 44°. 

15th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Pelargoniums,  and  Zonaie, 
Variegated,  and  Rose  Geraniums  for  stock.  50° — 60°. 

IQth.— The  same.     48°— 52°. 

17th. — Continued  putting  in  Verbena  and  Rose  cuttings 
and  planted  out  Carnations  in  open  ground.  No  Rose 
cuttings  yet  planted  out,  on  account  of  a  very  wet  spell 


DIARY   OF   OPERATIONS.  279 

There  would  be  no  danger  from  frost  now,  were  the  ground 
sufficiently  dry.  40° — 44°. 

18th.— The  same. 

20th. — Sowed  Tomatoes  for  a  succession  crop.  44° — 40°. 

2lst.— Put  in  cuttings  of  Double  White  Primula,  eor 
fall  stock.  42°— 48°. 

22nd. — First  planting  of  Roses  in  the  open  ground. 
Plants  in  very  fine  condition.  They  would  have  been 
planted  10  days  ago  if  the  ground  had  been  fit.  46° — 52°. 

23rd. — The  same. 

24*A.— Put  in  to-day  20,000  Verbena  cuttings,  which 
will  be  the  last  for  this  season,  as  they  will  not  make  good 
plants  much  later.  These,  however,  will  make  very  fine 
plants  by  the  end  of  May.  32° — 44°. 

25th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Dahlias  and  Double  Ge- 
raniums. 40° — 36°. 

27th. — Selected  the  best  Pansies,  and  planted  them  out 
for  seed  for  stock.  40° — 48°. 

28th.— Planted  out  Roses.     36°— 42°. 

29th.— The  same.    42°— 46°. 

30^. — Last  Rose  cuttings  for  the  season  made  to-day ; 
later  than  this,  it  is  uphill  work  propagating  Roses,  owing 
to  the  increased  heat  of  the  advancing  season.  42° — 60°. 


MAY,  1868. 

1st — Planted  out  Lilies,  Paeonias,  and  other  hardy 
plants,  in  open  ground,  42° — 60°. 

2nd. — Planted  out  in  open  ground  seedling  Verbenas 
from  the  boxes  in  which  they  have  been  pricked  out,  at  dis- 
tances of  18  inches  between  the  rows,  and  4  inches  be- 
tween the  plants.  They  are  put  thus  close  to  admit  of  re- 
jecting inferior  sorts  as  they  flower.  46° — 52°. 

4th. — Pricked  out  Egg  Plants  from  third  sowing,  (April 
20th)  and  also  potted  those  previously  pricked  out  in 
boxes.  Egg  Plants  being  rather  difficult  to  transplant, 


280  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

we  prefer  to  pot  them,  but  there  is  no  occasion  to  put 
Tomato  or  Pepper  plants  in  pots.  46° — 54°. 

5th. — Potted  off  root  cuttings  of  Bouvardia  in  large 
quantities.  48°— 52°. 

6th. — Planted  out  in  the  open  ground  stock  plants  of 
Variegated  and  Zonale  Geraniums,  the  ones  we  have  been 
propagating  from  all  winter.  50° — 53°. 

7th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Dahlias,  and  potted  off  such  as 
are  rooted.  50° — 44°. 

8^. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Lemon  Verbenas  for  next  sea- 
son's stock,  and  potted  off  the  last  of  Verbena  cuttings 
for  the  season.  42°— 52°. 

9th. — Potted  off  a  general  assortment  of  bedding  plants, 
mostly  new,  for  our  own  stock.  46° — 54°. 

llth.— Planted  out  Roses  largely.    48°— 56°. 

12th. — Potted  off  some  Rose  cuttings  ;  there  was  some 
slight  loss,  owing  to  a  rather  high  temperature.  46° — 50C. 

IBth. — Potted  off  the  Lemon  Verbenas  that  were  put 
in  on  the  7th  ult. ;  found  them  too  largely  rooted,  but  had 
no  room  to  pot  off  until  now.  They  should  have  been  pot- 
ted 10  days  ago.  52°— 56°. 

14£h. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Chrysanthemums,  Phloxes, 
and  Lantanas,  for  plants  for  next  fall  and  winter  sales. 
54°_55°. 

15th.— The  same.    50°— 58°. 

16th.— The  same. 

18th. — Potted  off  Geraniums,  etc.,  etc.  As  we  are  run- 
ning short  of  Egg  Plants,  have  put  in  1,000  of  the  tops 
as  cuttings.  54° — 56°. 

19^.— Potted  off  Dahlias  and  Lemon  Verbenas.  50° 
—54°. 

20*A.— The  same.    52°— 56°. 

22ndf. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Pelargoniums  for  fall  and 
winter  stock.  52°— 56°. 

23rd— Potted  off  last  lot  of  Rose  cuttings  for  the 
season.  54°— 64°. 


DIARY    OF    OPERATIONS.  281 

25«A. — Potted  off  Double  White  Primulas  put  in  on 
the  21st  ult.,  with  a  loss  not  exceeding  1  per  cent.  The 
last  6  days  have  been  very  wet.  58° — 66°. 

26th. — Planted  out  stock  plants  of  Petunias,  Calceola- 
rias, Pentstemons,  etc.  57° — 68°. 

27th. — Planted  out  Roses  in  large  quantities  to-day. 
58°— 56°. 

28th.— The  same.     54°— 60°. 

29th.— The  same.     58°— 64°. 

30^.— The  same.     62°— 68°. 

JUNE,  1868. 

1st.— The  same.     64°— 68°. 

2nd. — Potted  off  cuttings  of  Egg  Plants  that  were  put 
in  on  the  18th  inst.  62°— 66°. 

3rd. — Potted  last  lots  of  Chrysanthemums,  Phloxes, 
and  Lantanas,  that  were  put  in  on  the  14th  ult.  60° — 
64°. 

4th. — Continued  to  put  in  Dahlia  cuttings.     64° — 68°. 

5th. — Planted  out  our  collection  of  hardy  herbaceous 
plants.  66°— 70°. 

6^.— The  same.     68°— 72°. 

8th. — Topped  Carnation  plants  that  were  planted  out 
on  April  2nd,  to  keep  them  dwarf  and  bushy.  60° — 64°. 

9th.— Potted  off  Dahlias  and  Double  White  Primroses. 
62°— 66°. 

Wth. — Repotted  stock  plants  of  Double  White  Prim- 
roses. They  are  kept  under  glass  during  summer,  and 
shaded  by  whitewashing  the  glass  from  May  1st  to  No- 
vember 1st,  heavier  shading  being  given  during  the  months 
of  July  and  August.  54° — 60°. 

llth. — Shifted  the  Lemon  Verbenas  that  were  potted  on 
May  13th  from  2-inch  to  4-inch  pots,  in  which  they  will 
remain  all  summer.  64° — 68°. 

12th. — Washed  the  soil  entirely  from  the  roots  of  stock 
Pelargoniums,  which  have  been  exhausted  by  excessive 


282  PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

cutting  for  propagation,  and  potted  in  a  size  smaller  pots. 
66°— 68°. 

13th. — Planted  out  Bouvardias  at  the  distance  of  9 
inches  each  way.  68° — 70°. 

15th.— Finished  planting  out  Roses.     64°— 66°. 

IQth. — Repotted  La  Pactole,  Safrano,  Hermosa,  and 
other  Roses,  to  be  kept  in  pots  during  summer  and  fall,  to 
force  for  flowers  in  winter.  62° — 66°. 

18th.— Planted  out  stock  Dahlias.     66°— 72°. 

19th.— The  same. 

20th. — Planted  out  large  Roses  that  have  been  left 
unsold.  78°— 82°. 

22nd.— The  same.     60°— 62°. 

23rd— -The  same.     60°— 72°. 

24ZA. — Planted  out  what  remained  of  stock  plants.  58° 
—64°. 

25th. — Carnations  have  been  much  injured  by  continued 
rains ;  we  observe  that  they  are  more  susceptible  of  injury 
from  wet  than  any  other  plant  we  grow.  In  anticipation 
of  a  dry,  hot  spell,  we  now  mulch,  to  protect  the  few  roots 
they  may  have  left.  60° — 68°. 

2Qth. — Cleared  out  all  plants  from  the  green-houses,  and 
placed  them  outside,  except  a  few  things,  such  as  Double 
Primulas,  Daphnes,  Pelargoniums,  etc.,  which  would  be 
injured  by  excessive  rains.  60° — 66°. 

27th. — Repotted  different  kinds  of  plants  that  are  kept 
in  pots  for  winter,  such  as  Chrysanthemums,  Eupatoriums, 
Roses,  Poinsettias,  Heliotropes,  etc.  64° — 76°. 

29th. — Potted  off  last  lot  of  Pelargonium  cuttings,  for 
the  season.  66°— 74°. 

30th. — The  same. 

JULY,  1868. 

1st.— Repotted  Roses  for  winter  flowering.    68°— 70°. 
2nd. — Potted  off  Dahlia  cuttings,  the  last  for  the  season ; 


,  DIAEY   OF   OPEBATIONS.  283 

later  than  this,  the  roots  would  hardly  ripen  sufficiently. 
66°— 68°. 

3rd.— The  same.     72°— 72°. 

6th. — Shifted  Dahlias  from  2  to  3-inch  pots,  where  they 
will  now  remain  for  the  season,  care  being  taken,  however, 
to  thin  out  the  shoots  and  lower  leaves,  to  admit  sufficient 
air  to  the  roots  to  ripen  the  tubers.  72° — 76°. 

7th.— The  same.    70°— 70°. 

8th.— The  same.     72°— 78°. 

9th.— The  same.     74°— 76°. 

10th— Shifted  Pactole,  Safrano,  and  other  Roses  for 
winter  flowering.  76°— 80°. 

llth.— The  same. 

13th. — Topped  Carnations,  to  induce  a  dwarf  growth 
and  prevent  them  from  exhausting  themselves  now  by 
flowering,  as  the  flowers  are  required  only  in  winter.  82° 
—88°. 

14th. — Weather  exceedingly  hot ;  nothing  done  but  to 
water  the  plants  and  clean  up.  76° — 88°. 

15^.— The  same.     80°— 90°. 

16th.— The  same.     88°— 88°. 

17th.— The  same.    76°— 80°. 

18^.— The  same.    88°— 88°. 

20th.— The  same.     70°— 74°. 

21s*.— The  same.     72°— 72°. 

22nd. — Shifted  Heliotropes,  Chrysanthemums,  Roses, 
&c.,  for  winter  flowering.  74° — 76°. 

23rd.— The  same.    72°— 74°. 

24th.— The  same.     72°— 72°. 

25th. — Planted  out  dry  bulbs  of  Tuberoses  on  benches, 
in  5  inches  of  well-prepared,  rich  soil ;  these  we  expect  to 
flower  in  December.  Every  alternate  sash  is  removed 
from  the  green-house,  so  that  they  have  almost  full  ex- 
posure to  the  open  air.  76° — 80°. 

27th. — Repotted  Stevia  compacta  and  other  winter- 
blooming  plants.  74°— 76°. 


284  PEACTICAL  FLOBICULTURE. 

28th. — Layered  in  2-inch  pots  Roses  of  some  new  sorts 
that  are  scarce.  There  is  little  loss  in  layering  Roses  if  it 
be  done  in  small  pots  sunk  in  the  soil.  66° — 74°. 

29th.— The  same. 

3Qth. — Shifted  Cyclamens  and  Double  White  Primroses, 
and  thinned  out  the  Primroses,  spreading  them  over 
a  larger  surface,  to  admit  air  around  the  pots.  68° — 74°. 

31st.— The  same.    70°— 74°. 

AUGUST,    1868. 

1st. — Second  planting  of  Tuberoses  in  the  manner  done 
on  the  25th  ult.  Will  endeavor  to  retard  this  lot  by  keep- 
ing the  soil  as  dry  as  possible,  the  great  object  being  to 
delay  the  flowering  until  January.  72° — 78°. 

3rd. — The  same. 

4th.— The  same.     72°— 78°. 

5th. — To-day  we  pot  dry  roots  of  Tuberoses,  placing 
them  in  a  cool  shed  and  keeping  them  dry.  They  can  be 
thus  kept  in  a  shed  for  10  or  12  days,  after  which  they 
must  be  exposed  to  the  open  air,  but  will  still  be  kept 
as  dry  as  possible  until  they  begin  to  grow.  They 
will  be  thus  kept  in  pots  (2  roots  in  a  6-inch  pot,)  until 
there  is  danger  of  frost,  when  they  will  be  planted  out  in 
soil  on  the  benches  as  the  others  are.  The  object  of  pot- 
ting them  at  all  is  that  their  removal  to  the  benches  can  be 
done  without  injury  to  the  roots,  which  could  not  be  ef- 
fected unless  they  were  first  potted.  If  we  had  planted 
them  at  once  in  the  bench  we  do  not  think  we  could 
keep  them  back  so  well,  as  by  placing  them  in  a  partially 
shaded  place  in  the  open  air. — Cut  over  for  the  last  time 
this  season  those  Carnations  that  are  wanted  to  produce 
flowers  in  December  and  January.  70° — 76°. 

6th. — Shifted  winter-flowering  plants  of  all  kinds.  70* 
—78°. 

7th.— The  same.    70°— 76°. 

8th.— The  same.    72°— 74°. 


DIABY   OF   OPERATIONS.  285 

Wth. — Potted  off  cuttings,  and  shifted  into  larger  pots, 
Chrysanthemum  laciniatum  (the  winter-flowering  variety). 
72°_76°. 

llth.— The  same.    74'— 78°. 

12th.— The  same.     60°— 64°. 

13th. — Put  in  green  cuttings  of  Bouvardia,  Cissus,  <fcc. 
54°_60°. 

14th. — Shifted  for  the  last  time  this  season  Roses  that 
are  to  be  used  for  winter  flowering.  55° — 62°. 

15th.— The  same. 

17th. — Shifted  Eupatoriums,  Stevias,  Poinsettias,  and 
other  winter-flowering  plants,  for  the  last  time  this  season. 
The  next  shifting  will  be  from  the  pots  to  planting  out  in 
the  benches.  66°— 74°. 

18th. — Washed  the  soil  from  the  roots  of  Roses  that  have 
become  "  pot  bound,"  and  repotted  in  new  pots  with  fresh 
soil.  This  practice  we  find  very  effectual  to  recuperate  all 
plants  that  have  been  stunted  by  any  cause  whatever.  64° 
—72°. 

19^. — Topped  Bouvardias,  to  keep  them  dwarf  and 
delay  the  flowering  until  the  winter  months.  70° — 80°. 

20th.— The  same.     75°-— 72°. 

21st.— The  same.    72°— 70°. 

22nd.— The  same.     68°— 70°. 

24th. — Layered  new  sorts  of  Roses  in  pots,  and  put  in 
green  cuttings  of  Bouvardias,  Cissus,  Clerodendrons,  and 
other  plants  of  a  tropical  nature.  (Note. — September  5th. 
This  resulted  successfully).  70°— 76°. 

25th. — Cut  down  stock  plants  of  Pelargoniums,  and  put 
in  the  shoots  as  cuttings.  The  Pelargoniums  have  been 
kept  under  glass  all  summer,  slightly  shaded,  and  have 
ripened  their  shoots  finely,  so  that,  no  doubt,  nearly  every 
cutting  will  grow.  Great  difficulty  is  always  found  with 
the  rooting  of  Pelargoniums  that  have  been  planted  out. 
The  cut-down  plants  will,  of  course,  receive  no  watei  un- 
til they  begin  to  grow.  6«° — 74°. 


286  PRACTICAL  FLORICULTURE. 

2Qth.— The  same.    68°— 74°. 

27th. — Repotted  Poinsettia,  Heliotrope,  Eupatorium  ele« 
gans,  and  stock  plants  of  Lantanas,  for  the  last  time  until 
they  are  placed  in  winter  quarters.  64° — 72°. 

28th. — Shook  out  and  overhauled  stock  Fuchsias  that 
have  been  injured  by  exposure  outdoors  to  heavy  rains. 
62°— 75°. 

29th. — The  same. 

Blst. — Cut  down  stock  Heliotropes  and  put  in  the  cut- 
tings. 70°— 74°. 

SEPTEMBER,    1868. 

1st. — Potted  off  cuttings  of  new  Bouvardias  that  were 
put  in  on  the  13th  inst.,  only  about  one-half  of  which  have 
rooted,  owing  to  too  high  a  temperature.  72° — 80°. 

2nd. — Shifted  Safrano  and  other  Roses  thus  early,  so 
that  they  may  become  sufficiently  rooted  in  the  pots  to 
force  for  winter  flowers.  65°— 70°. 

3rd. — Cut  back  Petunias,  shrubby  Calceolarias*,  Cen- 
taureas,  &c.,  to  produce  young  shoots  for  cuttings,  which 
they  will  do  by  the  end  of  the  month.  The  hard  growth  of 
the  flowering  shoots,  or  even  the  ordinary  growth  of  the 
blind  shoots  made  in  summer,  is  too  hard  for  the  purpose. 
See  the  necessary  condition  of  the  cutting  in  Chapter  on 
Propagation.  56°— 60°. 

4th.— The  same.    50°— 61°. 

5th. — Lifted  and  potted  Bouvardias  from  the  open 
ground  and  placed  them  against  a  north  wall  outdoors. 
Careful  attention  is  necessary  in  shading  and  watering 
until  they  begin  to  root.  55° — 58°. 

7th.— The  same.     64°— 62°. 

8th. — Put  in  cuttings  of  Mrs.  Pollock  and  other  golden 
tricolor  Geraniums  in  propagating  house.  The  propaga- 
tion of  all  classes  of  Geraniums  will  now  be  continued  from 
the  plants  growing  outdoors,  from  now  to  the  end  of  the 
month.  The  plants  of  such  as  are  wanted  for  stock  are  lifted 
and  potted,  as  soon  as  cut  down  for  cuttings.  60° — 61°. 


I] 

Amaryllis  

CTD 

.157 
.158 
^229 

.248 

EX. 

242 

58 

Anomatheca  

Flues  ... 

Antirrhinum  majus  8C 

Foliage  Plants  Used  for 

.173 

Annuals  and  Biennials  

.     9 
.177 
159 

-232 
.    9 
.  48 

.2,32 
.233 
030 

Garden,  Aspect  and  Soil  for  
Garden  Workmen,  Expert  
Geraniums  

Babiana             

.176 
77 

179 

"         G  1        ma    ined 

196 

"         Golden  Tricolors  
"        Ivy-leaved  
"         Scented-leaved  

.2.33 
.231 
.2.34 
033 

Battersea  Park 

29 

Begonias  
Bignonia  jasminoides  and  venusta 
Boilers 

.175 
.176 
74 

"         Silver  Tricolors  
"         Variegated-leaved  

"         Zonal  e.                          8' 

.233 
.233 
-232 
.156 
253 
.  53 
..  GO 
1TT 

Bouquets,  Construction  of  

.179 
.171 

Bouvardias  

Caladium  esculentum  230 
Calceolarias,  Herbaceous  229 
Shrubby  229 
Camellias,  Propagation  and  Cnlture.161 
Canna  Indica                    .             86-229 

Gladiolus  
Grapes  Under  Glass  
Greenhouse  Structures 

"         Attached  to  Dwellings 
"         Ventilator 

Cape  Bulbs,  Varieties  and  Culture 
Carnations  
"         Monthly 

.156 
.165 
230 

Haemanthus  

,160 
.196 
.249 

.177 
71 

Hanging  Baskets  
Hardy  Herbaceous  Plants  
Heaths  
Heating  Modes  of 

Chinese  Primrose,  Double  White.  . 
Chrysanthemums,  Chinese  
"              Japanese  
Cinerarias 

.170 
.230 
.179 
.230 
.  87 
50 

Heliotropes                        174 

-234 

74 

Hitching  &  Co.'s  Boilers  

Cobaea  scandens  
Cold  Frames  

Holland  Bulbs 

.153 
.   64 

Hollow  Walls  
Hollyhock 

.  87 
930 

"     Verschaffeltii  

Hot-Beds,  Construction  of  
Hot-House  

.  52 
Cfl. 

Cotta"  e  Gardens  .... 

.203 
.231 
.  93 
.230 
.  13 
.  21 
25 

Dahlias  

How  Plants  and  Flowers  are  Grown.  102 
How  to  Become  a  Florist  897 
Hyacinths  in  Glasses                         1SS 

"      Propagation  of  

Design  for  a  City  or  Village  Lot.  .  . 
"         "      Flower  Garden  
"         "     Parterre.               .  . 

"         Winter-Flowering  

.176 
•>07 

Ants  

910 

Diary  of  Operations  
Drainage    

.262 
.  19 

Aphis                              

.210 
.203 
.203 
916 

Aphis,  Ground  or  Blue  
Blue  Aphis 

45 

Eupatorinms  

.173 
205 

Carnation  Twitter  

.210 
.203 
.215 
212 

.236 
.  27 
.  28 
.  21 
.  12 

Flower-Beds  in  Walks  
"         "     Plantin"  of 

Mealv  ~Bn<* 

Red  Spider                    

Flower-Garden,  Design  for  
"          "        Laying  out  

287 

Rose  Sin" 

20S 

PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 


Scale  Insects 315 

Thrips 216 

Verbena  Mite 213 

Lrias 158 

Jasminum  grandiflorum 175 

Lachenalias 159 

Lantanas 87 

Larkspurs 230 

Lawn,  Grass  for 12 

"      To  Lay  out 11 

Lemon  Verbena 235 

Lilies,  List  of Ill 

Lilies.  Propagation  of. 108 

Lily  of  the  Valley. 178 

Lobelia  Erinus 87 

"     gracilis 235 

Mailing  Plants 223 

Mignonette 176 

Mildew  on  Roses 139 

Mimnlus  luteus 235 

"       moschatns 235 

Moisture  and  Temperature 35 

Musk  Plant 235 

Nasturtiums 238 

Nature's  Law  of  Colors 213 

Nerine 157 

Orchid  Culture 150 

Ornithogalum  aureum 153 

Oialis 159 

Packing  Plants 221 

Panicnm  variegatnm 197 

Pansy 87 

Parlor  Gardening 199 

Parterre,  Design  for 25 

Pelargoniums 237 

Pentstemous 236 

Petunias 

Pinks,  Florists' 

"     Mule 236 

Plants,  Are  they  injurious  to  health  ?  217 

"       Bedding 229 

"       byMail 223 

"       Greenhouse 244 

11       Hot-house  or  Stove 246 

"       Soft-wooded 229 

Planting  of  Flower  Beds 28 

Potting  Cuttings 99 

Plants 41 

"       Soilsfor 32 

Poinsettia  pnlcherrima 174 

Primrose,  Double  White  Chinese. .  .170 

Propagation  by  Cuttings 89 

"         bySeeds 79 


Propagation  of  Succulent  Plants ...  239 

Profits  of  Floriculture 224 

Protection  in  Winter 50 

Pyrethrum,  Golden  Feather 236 

Roads 20 

Rock- work,  Formation  of 206 

RootCnttings 97 

Rose,  Culture  of 112 

Roses,  House  for  Forcing 131 

"      in  Pots 127 

"     Llstof  Select 115 

"      Preserving  Monthly  in  Win- 
ter  123-169 

"      Propagation 119 

"      Winter  Flowering 129 

Salvias 88-238 

Saucer  System  of  Propagating 100 

Shade,  Flowers  for 242 

Shading 99 

Shrubs,  Ornamental 252 

"       Climbing 252 

Snap  Dragon 235 

Son-wooded  Plants 229 

Soil  forGarden 9 

"    for  Potting 32 

Sparaxis 158 

Split  Cuttings 96 

Stevias 173 

Stocks,  Intermediate 237 

Succulent    Plants,    Propagation   in 

Summer 239 

Sweet  Alyssnm 176 

Temperature  and  Moisture 35 

Tigridia 160 

Tropaeolum 238 

Tuberose,  Culture  of. 144-169 

Tulips 155 

Varieties  that  Come  True  from  Seed  83 

Verbena,  Black  Rust  on 141 

"       Cultivation  of 88-140 

Vinery 253 

Violets 167 

Walks 19 

Wardian  Cases .205 

Watering 38 

Window  Gardening 199 

a         in  London 203 

Winter  Flowering  Plants 161 

Winter  Protection 50 

Wire  Designs  for  Cut  Flowers 194 

Wreaths 193 

Zinnias,  Double 


25875 


ffifflfflSH  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


000677877     3 


